In the last few months, especially after the Velvet Revolution, the name of George Soros is frequently mentioned in Armenia. Many people link the name with events, big or small, taking place in the country, beginning with the revolution itself to the issue of replacing the head of Yerevan State University.

For those who do not know who George Soros is, he is a Hungarian-born American billionaire. Through his Open Society Foundation, he provides millions of dollars in grants to non-governmental organizations mostly active in eastern European courtiers. This is why the “colored” revolutions that have taken place in these countries during the last few decades are, rightly or wrongly, associated with Soros’s name. In United States Gorge Soros is a major contributor to progressive causes, and for this reason he is constantly under attack by the right wing media.

In Armenia the Soros Foundation supports numerous NGOs that run programs in the field of human rights protection, women’s rights protection, anti-corruption campaigns, election monitoring and oversight and other causes. Naturally, these organizations, with their years of activities, have contributed to the victory of Nikol Pashinyan’s popular movement. Many of the leaders of these organizations are currently holding high level positions in the new government. For the old regime members this is a proof that many in Pashinyan’s circle are beholden to foreign forces.

Recently, the same accusations were leveled when the issue of replacing the rector of Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan was raised again. Simonyan’s defenders are accusing “Soros’s men” in pursuing the goal of destroying the University.

However, this week the names of those who have applied and received grants from the Open Society Foundation’s Armenia branch over the years, were made public. Not only supporters of Pashinyan were on the list, but apparently many anti-Pashinyan politicians and names associated with the former regime were recipients of grants from George Soros’s Foundation. More than one million dollars was granted to the Yerevan State University itself, to implement special educational programs. Many Republican MPs, as well as Robert Kocharyan’s lawyer Hayk Alumyan and others have received funds from the same organization.

The name of George Soros has become a political football in Armenia and is kicked around on every occasion. After the publication of these list, a question arises as who are “George Soros’s men” in Armenia.
Apparently everyone!
MASSIS

6 comments
  1. It is sad and distructive how soviet mentality can cause so much dought and suspicion. If Armenian orginizations are recipiants of George Soros funds it does not mean that a foreign country. is influencing the politics. Its 1500 years that Armenia’s policy has been shaped by foreign powers. and the last 70 years by the Soviets, headed by russia, and the last 25 years by Russia itself. But as we are imune to Russian influnce, we are ready to give in to all demands by Russia. The people of Armenia were brave and honourable in the last revolution. We need more people like Pashinyan.

    Alexander khosrovyan

    1. Really we need more people like Pashinyan , you must be joking , we need less or none like Pashinyan , I always see, read with our past , forget past look in future ahead 100 years , look around you advanced states looking 100 years ahead what we do look our past , keep the past where it belongs , do not touch look ahead.

  2. The sentence in this article, “For the old regime members this is a proof that many in Pashinyan’s circle are beholden to foreign forces”, tries to make it seem like only the “old regime members” are the ones pointing out that Pashinyan and his cronies are the long-time recipient of support from foreign forces. This is incorrect.

    Many people who were opposed to the “old regime” are also very concerned about Pashinyan’s and his cronies support from foreign forces, because in international politics rarely do foreign forces provide support and try to influence domestic politics within a nation without any expectation of some sort of benefit. Let’s not fool ourselves.

    It is not just the old regime members who are pointing to the real facts that that many in Pashinyan’s regime, including Mr. Pashinyan himself, have been the recipient of huge monetary grants from Soros and the United States government.

    This article should have dug much deeper into this issue and also brought to light that Mr. Pashinyan and his circle are not just the recipients of grants for purported humanitarian purposes. Several members of his regime were actively trained on organizing revolutions, just like the one that happened in Armenia. In fact, some of them, such as David Sanasaryan, even spent considerable amounts of time in the United States in training programs run by former high-ranking US government officials, such as Donald Rumsfeld.

    You state that, “In Armenia the Soros Foundation supports numerous NGOs that run programs in the field of human rights protection, women’s rights protection, anti-corruption campaigns, election monitoring and oversight and other causes. Naturally, these organizations, with their years of activities, have contributed to the victory of Nikol Pashinyan’s popular movement.”

    But to just brush aside the fact that the same people contributed to Pashinyan’s revolution as a “Naturally” occurring result is naive and shortsighted.

  3. It is truly funny and bewildering to see how people react so adversely when they hear Soros’s name.
    Weak-minded people lacking any substantive reasoning find solace in accusing everything that goes wrong under the sky as a “Soros Conspiracy”.

    All these “true Armenians” who warn of anti-national Soroists operating in Armenia somehow are so silent, blind, accepting and rooting for people who pretend to be “Armenia-loving” but are Russian lackeys to the bone. They are kremlin’s agents, operators, “more-russian-than-russian” moder-day “Bolsheviks” who would sell Armenia at a drop of a hat…as they did in 1920 and destroyed Armenia.

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