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Armenian News – NEWS.am presents the abridged version of the article by the Moscow correspondent Anna Nemtsova, published in The Daily Beast:  

YEREVAN. - A few months after Armenia officially joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union last year, it watched with growing concern, if not horror, as its almighty neighbor retreated day by day into ever-deeper international isolation.

Armenia, with a population of fewer than 3 million, is tiny compared to Russia, which has more than 140 million people. Suddenly Russia looked like it might become a sinking Titanic, sucking Armenia under the waves, dragging it back into the Soviet past.

So it was with something less than appreciation that Armenians heard Russian President Vladimir Putin last week on his visit to Yerevan reminding them that their diaspora in Russia was the same size as, if not bigger than, the Armenian population in Armenia.

Yes, indeed, the Armenians’ country is shrinking, but that does not make them less proud of their own ancient history and culture, of their independent media, developing civil society and good relations with Europe, the Middle East and the Americas—homelands for many more millions in the Armenian Diaspora.

Yes, the Armenian economy is poor and memories are sad, but the hearts of the people are free and passionate.

Unlike Russia, where the Kremlin labeled independent groups financed from abroad as “foreign agents,” Armenia welcomed such bridges to the West. The American University of Armenia, AUA, is at the top of Armenia’s most popular universities for its approach to higher education focused on freedom of speech, critical thinking and independent research.

If there was one great symbol of the irrepressible optimism of young Armenians, both in the West and here, it came the night before the ceremonies and speeches commemorating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. And it was the kind of thing you just don’t see in a post-Soviet country. 

An American band whose members are of Armenian descent, System of a Down, or SOAD, rocked Yerevan with the kickoff of their “Wake Up the Souls” tour.

On the following day international envoys and political leaders, including Putin and French President François Hollande, joined the ceremony held at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan. The Russian president, who Armenians believe influences their country’s domestic and foreign policy, expressed his sincere sympathy for the victims of one of “the most awful tragedies in the history of mankind.” Speaking at the ceremony, Putin pointed out that Russia played a significant role in Armenia's modern history: “The international condemnation of violence against the Armenian people was the result of the Russian diplomatic effort,” Putin said.

But many young Armenians found this condescending. They do not like it when Russians or anybody else treat them as a weaker and dependent nation. “We, the young generation of Armenians, are far from being like our political leaders,” said 26-year-old Artur Manukian. “We want to be open-minded, well-educated and free. The SOAD visit is like the support of an older brother. At the end of the concert, the SOAD members bent down in respect and love before Armenia.”

 

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