“Armenia has faced two problems over the recent years – Armenian-Turkish relations and the economic crisis – which revealed our omissions in foreign policy and economy. This, however, has a positive aspect, as our society has taken a sober view of state construction, foreign and socio-economic policy,” Ara Nranyan, an MP of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), told journalists Oct 14.
“A few years ago many people thought economic growth would go on and the quality of their life would improve. The society appeared optimistic about Armenian-Turkish relations, but the failure proved to be an opportunity for a sober view of the political situation,” Nranyan said. The most important thing now is to realize that “we cannot continue building an emasculated and spineless state,” he said. Nranyan pointed out the need for building up a national state.
The ARF member underlined the necessity for returning to a “clear national path,” which will not only enhance the country’s international reputation, but also boost society’s morale. “It is obvious that the neo-liberal economic policy cannot be effective. We must realize that the Republic of Armenia as a state, and Armenians as a nation, must be competitive in the nations’ global struggle, which is of paramount importance in our region,” Nranyan said.
According to him, the Armenian Government is committing a blunder when it compared Armenia’s competitiveness with Azerbaijan’s and Georgia’s. It will led the country to a stalemate and hinder its further development. “If, in some aspects, we are ahead of Azerbaijan and Georgia, we should not think that we can compete with developed countries,” Nranyan said.
He proposes the following ways of improving the national competitiveness: establishment of democracy and “transition from a feudal-elite state to a national one”; the restoration of national orientation, which means implementing a more realistic policy. “Armenia should realize that cooperation does not imply concessions at your own expense. Rather, it means forming a new platform for representing your country’s interests. Thirdly, rejecting the neo-liberal economic policy, when both the rich and the poor are discontent because they do not have nay guarantees for the future,” Nranyan said.
The ARF Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) formed part of the ruling coalition from 1998 to 2009, both under President Robert Kocharyan and under the incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan. It was immediately involved in building up “an emasculated and spineless state” with a neo-liberal economy it is critical of now. The ARF left the coalition because of disagreements over the Armenian-Turkish protocols.
