Hayern Aysor presents the interview that RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan gave to media and information correspondent of the Armenian Youth Association Aharon Shekherdemian

Aharon Shekherdemian: How was the eighth Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists different from the previous forums?

Hranush Hakobyan: First of all, it was different in terms of topics and its content, which was reflected in the title of the forum (“Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”).

This means that Armenian statehood has truly become the major axis of unity and consolidation for Armenians in Armenia and abroad following Armenia’s declaration of independence and that all Armenians are looking towards the Homeland. Brilliant evidence of this was the unity that all Armenians showed during the Four-Day Artsakh War in April when al Armenians, including Armenian journalists, came together and stood with Artsakh. It is true that the People became a Nation in one day. Once again, we Armenians showed our greatest national trait and our will and determination to work together in times of sorrow and danger. We need to use this powerful force and the aspiration to stand with the Homeland the right way for the empowerment and stabilization of Armenia, as well as to ensure the safe and secure future of the people of Armenia and all Armenians around the world. I think we have a lot to do to confront the global, regional and domestic challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. It is extremely important for Armenian journalists to disseminate truthful, impartial and pressing news and information, raise and present the issues of Diaspora Armenians’ concern and be consistent with the possible solution to those issues. What was also important was the fact that this forum gathered more young Armenians, including journalists of foreign-language mass media outlets who raised major issues during the forum. Most of them were participating in the forum for the first time, and so, the forum served as a wonderful platform for them to make acquaintances and establish new contacts. The major advantage was that the forum was held not only in Yerevan, but also in Stepanakert and provided the participating journalists with the opportunity to see how the people of Artsakh live, get acquainted with the country’s defense system and the daily activities, which will surely help them present the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as not only a conflict zone, but also a viable and developing country with its problems, hardships, achievements, challenges and heroic people. The sessions held in Artsakh also provided the opportunity to strengthen the cooperation with local mass media outlets and led to the conclusion of several agreements on cooperation.

And finally, the journalists had the opportunity to meet with the Presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Armenia’s new Prime Minister, as well as become familiarized with the Program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the future reforms and receive the answers to their questions of concern.

Aharon Shekherdemian: A paragraph about participation in the efforts for the prosperity of Armenia and Artsakh was clearly stated in the final statement of the forum. Could you please clarify this?

Hranush Hakobyan: I think the days spent in Artsakh were very impressive and served as an opportunity for us to think about really worshipping and protecting the homeland. It was in Artsakh where we launched the “What are YOU doing for Karabakh?” movement. The goals of the movement are to defend Artsakh and empower the country’s economy. You journalists need to talk and write about this, contribute, inspire and empower all Diaspora Armenians to come to Artsakh and make investments for the country’s welfare, development and prosperity. You enjoyed the nature and sightseeing in Artsakh, tasted the unique dishes and wonderful fruits of Artsakh, and you need to properly present the attractions, ecologically clean food of Artsakh and motivate foreign investors to want to come and make investments here. Artsakh, its development and advancement need to be in the focus of Diaspora Armenian journalists every day. I must say that the Ministry of Diaspora has already taken action to advocate the movement, make it strong and turn it into an idea of the entire nation.

Artsakh is the “25-year-old son” of the Armenian nation, and every Armenian needs to make sure its future is strong and peaceful.

Aharon Shekherdemian: The media of the West, which is the rival of free press, is bringing journalists to justice for providing wrong information. It’s not about censure, but anti-propaganda and misinformation. Surprisingly, this law isn’t applied in Armenia…As a result, journalists, who consider themselves armed with unlimited freedoms, make irresponsible statements that are even addressed to the country’s national security. How helpful is this field of misinformation for our society?

H. H.: Of course, you are right. For our country, which has serious conflicts, it is totally unbeneficial for journalists to make improper statements, write improper articles and spread misinformation, without taking into consideration the consequences and motivated to appear “brave” or become popular, especially about topics that are related to national security. However, Article 8 of the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On freedom of information” lists the cases when there are restrictions, and they are particularly the cases when the information

-contains state, official, banking or commercial secret;

-violates the confidentiality of the personal and family life of a person, including epistolary, phone conversations, mail, telegram and other communications;

-contains data of preliminary examination not subject to release;

-discloses data requiring restriction on access due to professional activity (medical, notarial, legal secret);

-violates copyright and/or related rights.

If a journalist or any other person has violated these conditions, he or she may bear administrative or criminal liability as prescribed by law. However, I think these norms are often violated unintentionally and nobody is consistent with those violations. Freedom of speech is the greatest achievement that we Armenians have made, but we must not confuse it with tolerance and irresponsibility. Your question sounds the alarm that journalists always need to be alert and that responsibility for the consequences of articles needs to be a mandatory and inviolable condition of the ethics of a journalist.

Aharon Shekherdemian: Have you ever thought of changing the format of the forum and discussing, say, several topics and agendas through live communication?

H. H. Of course, besides discussions, the forums also provide the participants with the opportunity to communicate live, as well as make new acquaintances and cooperate in the future. In this sense, they convey a lot of energy. Years ago, there were Armenian editors who wouldn’t greet each other and would contradict each other in regard to all issues. Today, the greatest achievement is that you editors and journalists have become a big family in solidarity and are concerned about the issues of the Homeland, the counterattack against the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem, the honor and reputation of Armenia and the dissemination of the truth about Armenians around the world. The important thing is that you all talk openly and courageously about your worries, hardships and community-related issues during such forums and conferences. As far as live communication is concerned, it is strictly necessary. We always listen and respond to the views and recommendations of various layers of Armenian communities of the Diaspora, including journalists not only during our meetings and conversations, but also through teleconferences that we organize often. I am glad that we managed to broadcast our forum life and that many journalists had the opportunity to participate in the forum and publish articles expressing their views. Recently, I had the pleasure of reading the article by correspondent of Odessa’s Verantun community newspaper Narine Muradyan, who highly appreciated the forum and wrote the following: “The 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists, which was held under the title “Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”, was interesting and was dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of Armenia and Artsakh. The forum, which I followed on the Internet, promotes the strengthening of cooperation between Armenian journalists around the world for the strengthening of Armenian statehood and the prosperity of the free and independent Republic of Armenia and Artsakh Republic.”

Aharon Shekherdemian: What programs will be the Ministry of Diaspora be carrying out in the upcoming months?

H. H.: As you know, the new cabinet approved a new concrete government program, the third section of which is devoted to the Armenian Diaspora. The upcoming programs of the Ministry of Diaspora are being developed in accordance with the provisions of the new Program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. Naturally, the main axis of the upcoming events is the preservation of the Armenian identity; the teaching of the Armenian language; events devoted to education; the activities with pan-Armenian organizations and support to the implementation of various kinds of programs that are carried out by those organizations; the ensuring of continuity of the programs for the integration of Syrian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armenians; the enlargement of the programs for homeland recognition of young Diaspora Armenians and their connection to Armenia; the introduction of new and more effective measures; the expansion of Armenian language courses; the revitalization of cooperation with professional associations established in the Diaspora, as well as the creation of databases containing information about Armenian culture heritage abroad and more. The Ministry is also planning on creating a structure under the “one-stop shop” principle to provide Diaspora Armenians with consulting services, offering business plans and help them make investments smoothly. The basis for the implementation of programs is the State Budget. It may be modest, but more and more participants are participating in our programs every year, and the geography is expanding. Our large-scale programs and projects are especially for young Diaspora Armenians living and creating in 112 countries around the world. It is clear that the implementation of all the programs and events will include research, organizational efforts, cultural, cognitive and other kinds of activities, and we provide information about them on our websites and other media outlets.

I must express my gratitude to the Armenian community of Lebanon, the spiritual centers and their leaders, the AGBU-Armenian Youth Association and every structure and every Armenian devoted to preserving the Armenian identity. They do everything they can to keep the reputation of the Armenian community of Lebanon high, enhance Armenian-Lebanese relations and always stand with the Homeland.

Aharon Shekherdemian: Thank you for your responses. I wish you more success.