YEREVAN. – People’s diplomacy can be effective only if there is some discourse at official level, Armenia’s Yerevan Press Club President Boris Navasardyan said at a press conference on Saturday. 

Reflecting on the role of the NGOs in people’s diplomacy, he noted that even though the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will not be resolved through such a diplomacy, their organization continues to cooperate with their Azerbaijani counterparts.

“[But] it is quite different in the case of Turkey. There are circles there that are interested in solving some political issues,” Navasardyan stressed.

In his view, in many cases, the NGOs are accused of criticizing the state. But, as per Navasardyan, the NGOs should help the authorities achieve “high scores” at international level.  

Boris Navasardyan also noted that the Armenian society comprehends with difficulty as to what the NGOs do. According to him, the Armenian society unequivocally accepts the actions taken solely by the authorities and the political opposition.     

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am