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November 10, 2005 National Citizens’ Initiative Targets Youth Empowerment Yerevan—The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) today convened a roundtable on “The Youth’s Involvement in the Political Processes of Armenia and the CIS Countries.” The meeting brought together young public and political figures, heads of student and other non-governmental associations, human rights advocates, analysts, experts, and media representatives.
NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian welcomed the audience with opening remarks. “Different connotations are attached to our youth of today: they are described as indifferent but never patriotic, labeled as materialistic but never spiritual, and portrayed as conformists who never aspire for their rights. Is such a youth ready and able to take part in the national development of the country and the civil establishment of society, bearing in mind the prospect of shouldering the heavy burden of meeting the challenges which the country will face in the future? It is to find the answers to this and other relevant questions on youth activity that NCI has invited this meeting,” Khurshudian said. In his intervention concerning the responsibility that Armenia’s young people must assume for the country’s future, Sargis Manukian of the Heritage Party agreed with the aforementioned thoughts. “The young generation has changed its value system at least two times in the past decade: the first was at the time of the Karabagh movement, which can be distinguished as a renewal, and the second was in result of the recent economic and political developments, which constitute a still-continuing decline,” Manukian stated.
In her talk on “The Armenian Public Youth Movement in the Context of Intra-political Developments,” Tamara Vardanian of the Noravank Foundation made reference to the 4,350 NGOs that are officially registered in Armenia, of which 350 are youth-oriented and mainly registered in Yerevan. “Our studies have shown that close to 36.2% of the youth-related NGOs are not active at all, whereas 15% are fairly active,” Vardanian noted. She also added that the Armenian NGOs had now moved from the “formation” to the “establishment” phase of development. Chairman Ruben Sargsian of the APR Group underscored the role played by youth movements in the course of democratization in Armenia and the countries of the CIS. He declared that the political developments unfolding in the CIS countries in the recent years have brought forth a substantial increase in the role played by the youth. In the words of Sargsian, there are approximately 23 such movements that are now active in CIS countries. During the discussion, NCI program coordinator Edgar Hakobian noted that the activeness of the youth is now being superficially impeded also by the authorities, who have closed the doors of the universities in front of public and political figures who are in disagreement with them, and thus do not allow the students to establish contacts with those individuals and receive answers to the questions that concern them. As an example of this, Hakobian recalled the case in June when the meeting of students of the Institute of Economics with Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian was prohibited.
During his talk, Mher Ghazarian of the National Youth Council of Armenia noted that it was not correct to divide the youth into contrasting pro-governmental and oppositional categories. He also added that what is being done by the authorities concerning the youth must not always be criticized. In his address renowned film-maker Tigran Khzmalian spoke about the upcoming referendum on the proposed constitutional amendments. According to his observations, the society which had turned into an unorganized mass in recent years is now inclined toward a retransformation to a civil society. This can happen thanks to the “No” ballot that the people will cast against the attempt to hire them as actors for the “constitutional show” being orchestrated by the ruling clans. In his turn, chairman Karen Hakobian of the “Huis” NGO noted that the body politic must first of all decide between the growing rule of shadow and criminality and the elements of civil society. And without first resolving such crucial matters the conduct of substantive discussions regarding any constitutional amendment becomes meaningless.
The remainder of the session was devoted to exchanges of views and policy recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists in attendance. Also noteworthy were interventions by Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) analyst Alen Ghevondian; Mikael Zolian of the Open Society Institute; Tadevos Charchian from the ARF Nikol Aghbalian Student Union; Aren Tepanosian of the Heritage Party; Karen Karapetian of the Armenian National Movement; Arthur Misakian from the Country of Law Party; Arman Tsaturian of the Republican Party; Armenak Antinian from the Liberal Progressive Party; Adrine Avagian of the National Democratic Union; Vahan Babayan from the Republic Party; Levon Babamian of the Forum of Intellectuals; and many others. In his closing remarks, NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian accentuated that without the fundamental transformation of the entire public domain and the formation of a strong civil society, it will be impossible to produce a free and conscientious generation in Armenia. “So as to solve this predicament, new leaders are in order, leaders whom the people will trust, who deep in their soul will carry national and liberal values, and who will educate the youth by their own example,” Khurshudian concluded.
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