Nothing Has Changed, In Some People’s Minds

Last week, the former president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan broke his silence and spoke at the European People’s Party (EPP) conference, held in Zagreb, Croatia, during which he criticized the country’s current authorities in harsh words.

“In my country, the change of power took place exclusively through peaceful means; One of my goals was not to allow human casualties and to keep the state free from dangerous shocks. Those who came to power under the name of revolution have not undergone any revolutionary changes or revolutionary breakthroughs in the country’s external and internal agendas. Moreover, over the past one and a half years, dangerous developments took place threatening democracy in the country, violating constitutional norms and abolishing constitutional order. The independence of the judiciary is clearly violated by numerous facts and political persecutions which are being carried out,” Serzh Sargsyan stated.

To believe in Serzh Sargsyan’s words, one had to be in a 20-year-long coma, having completely lost consciousness. We want to remind the president that he did not voluntarily surrender power. The people of Armenia seized power after a long struggle. As for the issue of peaceful change of power, the decision was no longer up to him, when the uprising of the people from north to the south, from the east to the west left no room for him to use force. Any such attempt was not only condemned to failure, but today Serzh Sargsyan would have been in a cell next to his predecessor.

As for the concerns expressed about “democracy, constitutional order, judiciary and political persecution,” this view is not shared by international human rights organizations, which in their numerous reports state the opposite and highlight the progress being made in Armenia. Most importantly, his concerns are not shared by the overwhelming majority of the people in Armenia and the Diaspora.

The new authorities are not free from shortcomings and often make mistakes. But what is happening in Armenia today, in raising the standard of living of the people, fighting corruption, strengthening democracy, protecting freedoms and progress in many other areas, deserves appreciation and encouragement.

It would have been better if Sargsyan had taken the opportunity to reflect on the mistakes and injustices that occurred during his time in office, apologized to the people and promised to open a new page in his political life.

The supporters of the former government are trying to persuade the public, through the vast network of media that they control, that nothing has changed since the Velvet Revolution. The same thought is echoed by Serzh Sargsyan. Hearing his words, we also come to the conclusion that nothing has really changed, not in Armenia, but in the minds of the former regime.
“MASSIS”