In an interview with Tert.am, RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan touched upon the idea that the RA President expressed during the 5^th Armenia-Diaspora Conference, that is, the creation of a Pan-Armenian Council. According to the deputy minister, the past three years of activities carried out by the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide have shown that there is a need for such a structure for coordinated solutions to urgent issues of national concern.

Tert.am: During the 5^th Armenia-Diaspora Conference, it was announced that there will be a Pan-Armenian Council comprised of members from Armenia and the Diaspora. Why was the idea born? What is it that the Pan-Armenian Council can do and the Ministry of Diaspora can’t?

Serzh Srapionyan: First, it wasn’t announced that “there will be a Pan-Armenian Council comprised of members from Armenia and the Diaspora” during the 5^th Armenia-Diaspora Conference. The RA President literally said the following: “By the way, I would like to set forth an idea and anticipate your reaction. In 2015, I suggest renaming the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide as the Pan-Armenian Council that will become one of the permanent platforms for discussion on urgent issues of national concern”. This is very clear and simple. In other words, the President made a proposal and looks forward to receiving responses from Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora. Only after that can we talk about the creation of that structure.

The activities carried out by the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide launched in 2011 have shown that such a structure is required for coordinated solutions to urgent issues of national concern.

How can the creation of this structure be linked to the RA Ministry of Diaspora? The key objective of the RA Ministry of Diaspora is to consolidate Armenians of the Diaspora, preserve the Armenian identity, deepen the Armenia-Diaspora relations, identify the potential of Diaspora Armenians and use that potential for Armenia’s economic development. The annual programs are evidence of the activities carried out by the ministry over the past six years. You can receive more information about those programs in the collection dedicated to the ministry’s fifth anniversary and in the annual yearbooks. However, the objective of the future council won’t just be to work with the Diaspora, but, as the President mentioned, “to become one of the permanent platforms for the discussion on urgent issues of national concern”.

Tert.am: What will be the structure and new functions of the Pan-Armenian Council?

S. S.: I think it’s too early to talk about the structure of a council that still hasn’t been created. Perhaps the already existing structure of the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide can serve as a basis for that, taking into consideration the views and proposals of interested organizations and individuals. As far as the new functions are concerned, we can talk about them after the creation of the council, and the common goals are already mentioned in the President’s speech.

Tert.am: There was a time when Hranush Hakobyan talked about the possibility of turning the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia into a bicameral parliament in which representatives of the Armenian Diaspora would be included in the Upper Chamber. Why wasn’t that possible? Is the new Pan-Armenian Council going to replace that?

S. S.: Yes, Minister Hranush Hakobyan did come up with the idea of making the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia bicameral. There are also other ideas to engage Diaspora Armenians in the discussion on issues of pan-Armenian significance and in decision-making. However, this is not an issue that can be solved quickly. Different views must be taken into consideration. Perhaps there will come a time when one of those ideas will turn into a reality.

The proposal to create a Pan-Armenian Council can in no way be linked to the National Assembly. The National Assembly is a legislature with the mission to develop and adopt laws, but the Pan-Armenian Council, if established, will serve for indicating the ways to solve the challenges facing all Armenians. It’s safe to say that certain functions are carried out by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, but only in the economic sector.

Tert.am: There is a lot of talk about Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy”. Can’t the Armenian Diaspora become a counterbalance to Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy” with its human and financial resources? What’s standing in the Armenian Diaspora’s way?

S. S.: To talk about Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy” doesn’t mean to view it as triumphant and the one with the most potential. The Armenian Diaspora not only counterbalances Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy” with human and financial resources, but makes Azerbaijan’s efforts in vain in several issues. Evidence of that is Correction 907 in the Freedom Act through the efforts of Armenian lobbyists. According to the Act, the U.S. is committed to not sell arms to Azerbaijan, several state and municipal legislators have recognized the independence of the NKR, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group change their views on the Artsakh issue on a daily basis, etc. There are many examples.

Tert.am: Hasn’t the motivation of Diaspora Armenians to help the homeland with human and financial resources during the implementation of pan-national projects changed throughout the years? Perhaps the creation of the Pan-Armenian Council is conditioned by the change of Diaspora Armenians’ motivation in order to bring a new sweep to the Armenia-Diaspora partnership.

S. S.: I don’t think the motivation has changed throughout the years in terms of implementation of pan-national projects, better yet, it’s the opposite. Evidence of that is perhaps the fact that more and more Diaspora Armenians are participating in the programs carried out by the Ministry of Diaspora. The course of programs for Armenia and the Diaspora has changed, especially when the President of the Republic of Armenia announced that gone are the days when the Homeland longed for assistance from the Armenian Diaspora.

It’s time for Diaspora Armenians to gain profit in Armenia, make investments and benefit from those investments. That’s why several Diaspora Armenians have started their mutually beneficial businesses in different economic sectors in Armenia and Artsakh. In this sense, the creation of the Pan-Armenian Council can in no way be linked to making Diaspora Armenians motivated and bringing a new sweep to the partnership.