Agence France Presse — English
February 16, 2008 Saturday 1:19 AM GMT
Armenian diaspora relishes growing political role
by Michael Mainville
YEREVAN, Feb 16 2008
With its cozy atmosphere, frothy cappuccinos and foreign-language
newspapers, the Artbridge Cafe could have been plucked straight out
of London, New York or Paris.
But here in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, far from the world’s major
capitals, it stands out as an oasis of Western-style comfort. It even
has a non-smoking section — an almost unknown innovation in the
former Soviet Union.
The cafe is a favourite of Armenian repatriates, members of a
worldwide diaspora who have settled in the country since it gained
independence upon the Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse.
And as the "repats," as they are known, avidly follow a presidential
election this Tuesday, the Artbridge has added some political
paraphernalia to its decor. Photos of campaign rallies hang from the
walls and candidates’ pamphlets are propped on a small table.
The diaspora has long been at the forefront of a determined drive by
Armenia to have the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire early in the 20th century recognized as genocide.
Prominent Armenians such as French singer Charles Aznavour and
American heavy metal band System of a Down have campaigned to raise
awareness of the massacres.
But with the adoption last year of a new dual-citizenship law, the
diaspora will soon be playing a larger role in the country’s domestic
politics.
The new law will mean that at least some "repats" will be able to
acquire full voting rights in Armenia without giving up their foreign
passports.
"The diaspora is very engaged in politics," said Artbridge’s
American-Armenian owner, Shakeh Havan. "We have grown up dreaming of
Armenia. My father used to always say that we would move to Armenia
when it became free…. Now that we can live here, we want to be a
real part of it."
Members of the diaspora abroad far outnumber the tiny country’s
population of about three million. An estimated nine million people
worldwide claim Armenian descent and there are large Armenian
communities in France, Iran, Russia and the United States.
Between them they have ploughed significant funds into Armenia,
helping ease a difficult transition period.
Most Armenians in the West trace their family histories back to those
who fled the Ottoman-area killings in what is now eastern Turkey.
Hundreds of thousands of Armenians fled or were deported from the
region between 1915 and 1923.
Turkey has angrily denied the genocide label, saying both Armenians
and Turks were killed in civil strife.
It’s unclear exactly how many from the Armenian diaspora have settled
in the country since independence, but they number in the thousands.
The foreign ministry says 15,000 to 20,000 foreigners own homes in
Armenia and all but a few are members of the diaspora.
"It’s a huge community and every year more and more are coming," said
Arpi Vartanian, head of the Yerevan office of the Armenian Assembly
of America, which represents the estimated 400,000 American
Armenians.
Despite its size and influence, members of the diaspora living in
Armenia have traditionally played only a supporting role in elections
here.
While they were free to help on the sidelines, they could not vote
without giving up their foreign citizenships and becoming Armenian
nationals.
The new law will finally give them that chance, though they won’t be
voting on Tuesday as the government is still ironing out the
conditions for granting dual citizenship.
"There hasn’t been much involvement of diaspora Armenians because
they didn’t have the right to vote," Vartanian said. "But once the
process is completed, more and more people will be involved."
It remains to be seen what precise role the community will play. Some
opponents of the dual citizenship law have argued that it leaves the
country open to manipulation from abroad.
But the government is expected to introduce safeguards to ensure that
those who obtain dual citizenship have a strong connection with the
country by, for example owning property or spending a significant
portion of their time here.
Havan dismissed concerns that the "repats" will form a unified voting
bloc.
"We’re a very diverse group, we don’t all think alike," she said.