Armenian News - NEWS.am presents an interview with Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan.
How would you assess your work in 2012 on a five-point scale?
I think it would be wrong if I assessed my work. Diaspora and our society are to give the appraisal. Judging by the comments in the media, renowned structures and Armenian Diaspora organizations, I can say that they are mostly pleased with the ministry and our collaboration is deepening and expanding. I am glad that teamwork has new interesting shape and is rising to a new level.
What are three achievements and shortcomings the ministry had in 2012?
One of the main achievements is the creation of the “Spyurk” (Diaspora) summer school. It is the first time we were able to create courses arranged for the Diaspora in five directions: they are designed to strengthen the work on preservation of the Armenian identity and are focused on young people.
The second achievement is “My Armenia” festival standing out for its quality, scale, number of participants, type and format. The festival was attended by over 3,000 people and lasted 6-7 months.
The third major achievement is the use of high technology to work with communities.
The Internet has helped us to unite the Armenian communities from more than forty countries in a couple of days to hold demonstrations, petitions against the extradition of killer Ramil Safarov. In just a few days we were able to inspire the Armenian community, to give them strength, calling for participation in the voting during the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
We have to admit, the Ministry has been established, it belongs to the communities. This means that the system of government of the Armenian Diaspora has a voice which is extremely important.
Speaking about shortcomings, I can admit that our limited budget has affected the number of participants in various programs. This is concerning because we are dealing with 7 million people. Sometimes the number of those willing to participate in different programs reaches unprecedented numbers. One of the omissions is media contacts. The Ministry’s activities should be covered completely.
Name the three most important steps in 2013.
The first major step is promotion of the mother tongue, the convergence of a large number of young people to their homeland. The preservation and promotion of the native language should be an important issue. The second step is the final formation of the “Spyurk” summer school.
The key issue is the100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and processes to resolve the Karabakh conflict. We must involve Armenian lobbying organizations and, especially, revive national identity of Armenians belonging to other religions.
The number one problem the Ministry of Diaspora has been recently related to the issue of Syrian Armenians. Have you taken enough efforts for them to have a cheerful New Year here in Armenia?
I agree that the problem of Syrian Armenians is a real challenge for us. Syrian Armenians who are here now are fragile and emotional and we must make sure for them not to feel as if they were strangers. This is the reason that we have changed many laws, decisions to make a discount for customs duties, taxes, governmental fees. The changes were done under the instruction of president. We will also organize several New Year events for the Syrian-Armenian children. Different charitable organizations will send sweets and presents to children who are in Syria now.
The next question is about the New Year’s Eve. What do you usually do?
We celebrate the New Year Eve at home. New Year is a family holiday, all children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will come to visit my mom. My mom cannot do everything alone, thus I am responsible for shopping, cooking, treatment. It is a pleasure for me.
I want Santa Claus to bring world peace, first of all, for Syria. I would like to see peace and stability in our region. I wish the people around me were kind, forgiving, and more loyal.
