Azernews.Az

Friday March 29 2024

Armenian escapee reveals realities of his country

20 October 2015 10:05 (UTC+04:00)
Armenian escapee reveals realities of his country

By Laman Sadigova

Arms and drug trafficking, and smuggling remain some of the most profitable markets in Armenia, a political activist believes.

Vahan Martirosyan, the head of the National Liberation Movement, who has appealed to the Azerbaijani government for a political asylum, said that president of Armenia deceives the Armenian people by talking about the growth of the economy.

"The country remains on the verge of default and economic collapse, whilst the president is talking about economical growth, which is truly insane," he says.

Martirosyan was forced to flee Armenia in search of secure place to live. He was persecuted for criticizing incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan’s policy, calling it "totally destructive."

The Armenian people, whose government is not concerned about minimum living standards in the country, are being forced to leave the country. Some 45,000-50,000 people leave Armenia annually. The deteriorating socio-economic situation, high poverty, growing rate of unemployment and an absence of hope for a bright future are said to be among the primary reasons behind the mass migration outflows.

Martirosyan added that the Armenian population is being forced to starve. He also accused the country’s state authorities of racketeering and wide spreading corruption. Human rights activist expressed his confidence that these factors are the cause of migration from the country.

Despite attempts to fight corruption, progress is limited because almost every Armenian state official can be accused of the practice.

For example, the Anti-Corruption Council, which receives funds from the European Union and the USAID, formally began its work in the end of July with the intention of including opposition and civil society members as well as government officials on its ranks. However, nobody from the opposition or non-governmental organizations has joined largely because of skepticism about its credibility.

“As governance is based on the consensus of elite groups, Armenia suffers from the inconsistent application of the rule of law as well as from the exclusion of civic input to legislative processes and policy formation. In addition, civil society is atomized, heavily donor dependent, and not widely seen as representative of the public interest. The media suffers from limited resources and a lack diversity of viewpoints and professionalism. Consequently, citizens have low levels of trust in governance institutions, NGOs, and the media alike,” USAID reported earlier.

The army is only for the poor

Armenians are growing ever more reluctant to send their children off to die in Nagorno Karabakh, which is even not a part of Armenia. The situation is worsening because of the unfair practices existing in the military.

Martirosyan also confirmed that only children from poor Armenian families must serve in the territory of the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian families cannot afford military identification cards, which cost $5,000-6,000 and are forced to die on the frontline.

Cases when Armenian soldiers are unwilling to die for the occupied territories are increasing. Desperate soldiers even run to Azerbaijan, asking for the help.

Human rights activist added that they periodically have meetings with members of international organizations. He deplored their passive behavior and their unwillingness to adhere to peace-building initiatives.

---

Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

Loading...
Latest See more