Our mission to give a comprehensive presentation of Armenia and the Armenian reality in terms of politics, society and culture would be incomplete, if we didn’t try to present all that from the perspective of state officials.

Hayern Aysor has a new feature presenting interviews with state officials that are going to be as official as they are non-official. They are in the style of Zham Magazine. We will try to talk about not only field-related issues and Armenia’s perspectives, but also personal matters.

The first guest is RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

 Interview by Anna Givargizyan

Anna Givargizyan: During the Soviet era, students had to write an essay about what they dreamed of becoming. What was your essay about?

Hranush Hakobyan: I was in the sixth grade when my father told me that I had to become a mathematician. It was as if this was the plan for my life. Whenever I was assigned to write an essay about what I dream of becoming, I would always write that I was going to become a mathematician. My mother dreamed that I would become a nurse, but I get afraid when I see blood, and people’s pains cause me pain. I am very strict on the outside, but in reality, I am delicate. In human relations and in relationships with friends, I am like a little kid. I kind of become helpless and want others to dominate me. This is why I didn’t choose medicine as a profession.

Anna Givargizyan: I think your sister fulfilled your mother’s dream.

Hranush Hakobyan: Yes, my sister heads a medical institution. She is a manager and does her job brilliantly. My first profession is applied mathematics (this was a new science in Armenia in the early 1970s). In fact, in the Soviet Union, cybernetics was considered a “false science” and was rejected, and only in the 1960s was it eventually acknowledged. In the early 1970s, the first computing machines (Nairi, Hrazdan, Arax) were created at the scientific research institute founded by Sergey Mergelyan in Armenia…This was more than interesting for a young person like myself who was interested in mathematics. So, I chose applied mathematics, not classic mathematics.

Anna Givargizyan: Have you ever regretted choosing this profession?

Hranush Hakobyan: Never! I am very happy that I chose mathematics. Mathematical thinking helps me a lot. I will tell you a story. One day, after I had gotten accepted to one of the universities in Armenia, as my mother and I were walking on the street, we saw the principal of my school, who had also been my mathematics teacher. When he learned that I had gotten accepted to the Faculty of Applied Mathematics, instead of rejoicing as I expected him to, he said the following: “How could you take this child to the Faculty of Mathematics?” I got insulted that my teacher was against my choice. Years went by. Besides my respect for my principal/teacher, I also felt pain in my heart. One day, he approached me when I was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Union of Armenia. we sat face-to-face, and he said the following: “My girl, I have come to say that you have finally found your place…Mathematics was “narrow” for you…You had to become a public figure.” I was amazed. The man hadn’t forgotten our encounter and had probably realized that he had hurt me deep down inside. I got very emotional, but I also understood what it means to be a real teacher. It means to be consistent with your principles and your predictions. This is how I made a transition from the field of mathematics to politics. My career in politics and community service made me leave my beloved job of a lecturer behind.

Anna Givargizyan: You said mathematics is your first profession. What about the others?

Hranush Hakobyan: During the years when I was working for the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Union, I studied at the Moscow Academy of Social Sciences (1986-89). In the Soviet Union, a person holding a high political office definitely needed to have a background in political science.

After Armenia’s declaration of independence, as one of the youngest Members of Parliament, I became actively involved in lawmaking. Although I was also a Deputy during the Soviet era, at the time, we Deputies were more of a “translator” than a lawmaker when making laws. The laws would be translated from Russian and shortened (this was not characteristic of Armenia), and we would vote without any discussions. All the laws would be adopted unanimously. In the new conditions, it was necessary to lay the legislative foundations for the state and adopt laws for the functioning of state institutions. For that, it was necessary to have legal knowledge. Without thinking twice, I got accepted to the Faculty of Law of Yerevan State University and graduated in 1994. Afterwards, I defended my candidacy, and in 2006, I also defended my doctoral thesis devoted to the Parliament of the Republic of Armenia and parliamentarianism. My parents had instilled in me the love for education and science at an early age. I am happy that I received such an education.

You need to have legal knowledge in order to work in the public administration sector, and to manage effectively, you need to have the mindset of an official. I also learn on the job. One has to learn every day. This is my political and educational credo.

Anna Givargizyan: If I am not mistaken, you are not only a state official, but also teach.

Hranush Hakobyan: Yes, I  teach at the State Management Academy of Yerevan. On the weekends, I teach at Gavar State University, which my father established in 1993, or as the people in Armenia say, “the cold and dark years”. My monograph devoted to the parliament and parliamentarianism has become a handbook for students.

Anna Givargizyan: Don’t you get tired?

Hranush Hakobyan: I relax with my students. The classroom is my favorite place to be. I never give my students an unsatisfactory grade. I learned this from my father. I must say that my students always receive “excellent” and “good” marks.

Anna Givargizyan: What is your position on criticism? There are many Armenian presses that criticize the Ministry of Diaspora.

Hranush Hakobyan: It depends on what kind of criticism it is. Practical and constructive criticism helps, but one should also appreciate what has been done. Sometimes they say the Ministry is “begging”. What’s so bad about asking Armenians where the Mantashevs and Lazarevs are, where the wealthy Diaspora Armenians are and asking them to come, work and make investments in their homeland? Is there anything bad about that? We also suggest that Diaspora Armenians come and spend their vacation in Armenia once every two or three years. If you are Armenian and the only way you can help your homeland is to visit the country, why shouldn’t you? Some journalists are turning these major issues upside down and causing uproar. They don’t matter to me at all because I know that there are shrewd people behind them and that what they write is mainly phony.

Anna Givargizyan: These days, one gets the impression that you try to do everything on your own and even participate in several meetings that you don’t have to participate in. Don’t you trust your employees?

Hranush Hakobyan: It’s not about trust. I feel responsible for everything. God forbid something goes wrong. Later, I work hard to fix the mistake and understand the reason so that it doesn’t happen again. My co-workers also try to do the same along with me. I like to do a good job.

Anna Givargizyan: What were the outcomes of the 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists?

Hranush Hakobyan: Firstly, it is my pleasure to state that the forum, which gathers the most outspoken, the strongest and the sharpest people, is a success. For the eighth time, the journalists gathered and considered field-related issues with great enthusiasm, and this is already an outcome.

Secondly, the journalists establish strong ties. As a result, they have created a tremendous network for the exchange of information.

I think it is important that the participants of the eighth forum specified the priority issues that all Armenian mass media outlets will touch upon later. What made the forum especially significant was the visit to Artsakh where the journalists had a meeting with our brave soldiers defending the border.

Another major achievement was the launch of the “What are YOU doing for Artsakh?” pan-Armenian movement, which has gained momentum in the Armenian communities of the Diaspora. It is not by chance that the Ministry declared the year 2017 as the Year of Artsakh. We expect every Armenian to make a direct contribution to the development and advancement of Artsakh.

Anna Givargizyan: Which country was the first to establish a Ministry of Diaspora?

Hranush Hakobyan: Of course, it was Israel. Israel has two ministries and one agency in charge of issues related to the Diaspora. The Jewish and Armenian diasporas are different in that Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora were established almost at the same time, while the Jewish Diaspora established the Jewish state. Let’s not forget that Armenians settled in Iran and Europe centuries ago. For instance, in 1604, Shah Abbas brutally deported 300,000 Armenians and drove them to New Julfa. Currently, one of the most organized Armenian communities is located in Isfahan, and I would classify the 350-year-old Holy Savior Armenian Church among the wonders of the world.

Anna Givargizyan: Are there many countries that have a Ministry of Diaspora?

Hranush Hakobyan: There are Ministries of Diaspora in 26 countries and agencies dealing with Diaspora-related issues in over 60 countries. It is accepted to say that today, the world is “diasporizing”, and people have started talking more about Diasporas, not states.

There are ministries for the Diaspora in Croatia, Romania and France…When the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia was finally established, I invited my colleagues to Armenia. Representatives of 18 countries participated in the international conference held under the title “Perspectives of the Diaspora in the Globalizing World”. After the conference, the participants adopted a declaration proposing the establishment of a task force adjunct to the UN that would give legal clarifications for Diaspora-related issues and adopt a joint declaration or convention regarding the diaspora.

Anna Givargizyan: Please tell us about all your successes and failures as Minister of Diaspora throughout the years. What are you proud of? What do you pity?

Hranush Hakobyan: All the ministries operating in Armenia are almost 100 years old, except for our ministry, which has only been around for eight years. The minister of education changes and the approach changes, but schools and universities stay the same. The minister of culture changes, but theaters, movie theaters and libraries remain. Approaches are what change. We started from scratch. There are three main components for the creation of an institution-finance, specialists and trust. The global financial-economic crisis had just begun, and there were scarce resources. There were also few specialists who knew about the Diaspora and understood the key issues of the Diaspora.

The Armenian Diaspora didn’t trust Armenia since the issue of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols was a current issue and had caused all Armenians to rebel. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, the Ministry of Diaspora was established. I take pride in the fact that my team and I managed to work in such a way that Diaspora Armenians trusted the Ministry more. Today, we have signed agreements and memoranda on the implementation of joint programs with 6 pan-Armenian organizations and have organized 91 professional forums and conferences that have gathered more than 120,000 Armenians in Armenia. Our compatriots were introduced to the local specialists and proposed programs that would help them use their knowledge and skills for the benefit of Armenia. Our goal is not to bring funds in Armenia. Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is in charge of that. We are “bringing” knowledge, contacts and opportunities that can promote the empowerment and development of Armenia.

Sometimes we are criticized for our efforts with the Syrian-Armenians by people who are not fully aware of what we do. The efforts of the Armenian government in the UN General Assembly were brought as the best example. This is also the achievement of our Ministry since the issues of the Syrian-Armenians in Armenia are coordinated by the Ministry upon the assignment of the President of the Republic of Armenia.

We try to complete every task and keep all the promises that we make to people. If we don’t, the Diaspora won’t trust us.

Anna Givargizyan: Is it hard to work with Diaspora Armenians?

Hranush Hakobyan: Unlike the other ministries, the greatest difficulty of our ministry is that the organizations that we work with are independent and are based in different countries. I can neither command nor assign nor demand nor oversee. The only way to collaborate is to lead negotiations, engage in dialogue, explain, persuade, ask, wait and write letters…If they reply, then it is good. If they don’t, there is nothing I can do about it. There are times when we wait for the response from the leader of this or that organization. Later, the particular leader tells us he was in Miami and hadn’t managed to reply, or hadn’t seen the letter on his computer. What can we do? I can only assign my employees and demand from them. Other ministers sign orders that the entire ministry needs to perform and then check. This is impossible at our ministry.

Anna Givargizyan: The organizations you work with are dispersed across the globe.

Hranush Hakobyan: Yes, they are based in 118 countries. We also have a problem with specialists. Upon our proposal, Yerevan State University established the Chair of Diaspora Studies, which prepares specialists. It is very important for the specialists to be knowledgeable. We also invited people from the Diaspora to help, but other problems emerged. It is very important to build ties with people and institutions and find the right motto that will be close to a person’s heart and motivate him or her. For instance, the new “What are YOU doing for Artsakh?” pan-Armenian movement is close to the hearts of everyone. We believe every Armenian needs to think about Artsakh and ask himself what he has done for Artsakh. Artsakh is the gateway of our existence. Artsakh is our remorse, our spirit and our pride. We need to do everything we can to advance the issue of international recognition of Artsakh and, of course, to empower it in terms of economy, defense and culture. Look at the great cultural figures that are born on that land! How can one not fall in love with that piece of homeland and not love and defend it as a nation?

In that regard, the journalists have a lot of work to do. You journalists must inspire all young Armenians to have the idea of living for Armenia. Yes, there is injustice and illegal acts in Armenia, but this can be seen in all countries. We Armenians shouldn’t bring that up all the time. We should support the reforms and fight together to eliminate the mistakes by taking pride in our progress and all the good things. If Armenians abroad are not proud to be Armenian, how can they feel responsibility for Armenia? After all, Armenia is the main citadel that helps Armenians abroad preserve the national identity and the oxygen for Armenians to exist.

Anna Givargizyan: Now let’s make a sharp turn and talk about the most brilliant memory of your childhood.

Hranush Hakobyan: “My heart becomes bitter like wine when I remember my childhood…”-an Armenian poet would say. I am from the Sarukhan village. During the summers, the villagers would take their cattle to the mountains. My grandmother would also go. One day, we received news that grandmother was returning. My older brother (I was 5, he was 6-and-a-half) went out to “greet” grandmother. We were going with the hope to see her somewhere. Darkness fell. We had reached the mountains…Then, the only thing I remember is opening my eyes in my father’s lap…It turned out that my grandmother had come to the village through another route (in a sleigh), and we had gone in another direction. Our family members were worried about us. The whole village was looking for us. My mother looked for us with a group. They saw a pack of wolves in the fields and were horrified by the thought that perhaps…My father asked around and reached the mountain where my grandmother had stayed and found us. This is how we became the heroes who were “saved from the pack of wolves”.

I was in the fifth grade, and my younger sister was two-and-a-half years old. She asked for candy. I took her hand and went to the store. On the road, a big dog attacked us, and I immediately threw my sister to the floor and lied on her. The dog bit me and tore my coat, but I saved my sister…

Anna Givargizyan: Do you read a lot? Do you have time?

Hranush Hakobyan: I have loved reading since childhood. I remember how my mother, who was the principal of a school, would find time and read for us, even though she was tired and was doing all the chores. When I was in the second or third grade, I would read the works of Tumanyan. Later, I started reading the works of Shiraz and then Sevak. I would also write poems. Later, I was very busy and never had time to compose. I remember I was in my third year of studies when we wrote the word “Damn” on a poster and marched towards Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex on April 24^th. The police came, pushed and shoved, stole the poster from me and tore it. I was offended. I came home and wrote a poem about this.

Anna Givargizyan: Do you have a symbol that is always with you?

Hranush Hakobyan: The pictures of my family members and Sevak’s book, which is always on my table.

Anna Givargizyan: Who is your closest friend?

Hranush Hakobyan: My little sister. We are three sisters and have a wonderful brother. We are all close with each other. My mother is my greatest consultant. I had a glorious father who was the worship of his students and the people around him. He left a great trace…I have many classmates, fellow students and many friends and close ones. I might not see them for a long time, but whenever we meet, it is as if we met yesterday.

Anna Givargizyan: What is your message to young Armenians abroad?

Hranush Hakobyan: I want them to study hard, be competitive and always aspire to be the first. I want them to never forget the homeland and maintain their bonds with the homeland, be it conscientiously, physically or spiritually.

I want them to be aware of the fact that knowing the Armenian language is the main guarantee for preservation of the Armenian identity and is the backbone of the Armenian identity. They need to learn several foreign languages, but never overlook the native language. Language is the greatest asset of a nation, and the representatives of the nation must protect, enhance and transmit it to the generations.