VARDAN OSKANIAN: POLITICAL AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETIES DO NOT ACT CORRECTLY IN OUR REGION YET
Noyan Tapan
March 17, 2008
BRUSSELS, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 15-16, RA Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian took part in the Brussels Forum – 2008 held in the
capital city of Belgium. Within the framework of the forum V. Oskanian
and Temuri Yakobashvili, the Georgian State Minister of Reintegration
Issues, were the main reporters at the discussion under the title "Does
the way leading to Europe stretch to the Caucasus?." The RA Foreign
Ministry Press and Information Department has presented the text of
V. Oskanian’s speech to Noyan Tapan, which we present completely:
"Does the way leading to Europe stretch to the Caucasus? My answer
would be the same even if there were not the post-electoral crisis
of the past weeks.
In fact, the post-electoral situation just addes accentuations in
my answers.
On the one hand, one could think that this question has been asked
and the answer has been given. Hasn’t it? Now we are here and share
history, values, and civilization, we also share the goals of the
integrated, mutually connected and mutually dependent European
political and economic community.
On the other hand, as long as the Caucasus is a place, which sticks
to the old definitions, old ways and old solutions, I think it will
be honest to repeat the question all the time for all those asking
the question and those answering to have to periodically look at
themselves in a mirror.
I have repeatedly said: Europe had religious, geographic, and cultural
borders. Today its borders are characterized by values. Europe,
according to my definition, is political. Europe considers that
its national strivings have been totalled, as its institutions are
efficient and willing to act.
Europe stops asking where its roads reach only when questions
concerning democracy and authoritarianism, supremacy of law, values
and systems emerge.
Europe considers that it has voluntarily waived some sovereign
political and economic rights to create some structures that will
strengthen and unite the political and economic advantages and will
neutralize the danger and damages of the wars.
We, on the other hand, in our region, still live with a threat of
a war, some damages of the war and even inside our societies we are
sensitive in the issues, which regard our newly acquired rights. In
fact, the suspicions and the concerns are so big that the political
and social institutions of our societies do not act correctly yet.
Yesterday Georgia, today Armenia are excellent examples of lack of
efficient institutions. Is all this a deviation from democracy and
European way? No, there were shocks, problems, extremes, errors in
the process. And take it as a warning: there will be new ones.
To completely trust the institutions in the post-Soviet period, in
the post-Soviet area – that is the deviation. For the present, we
are not able to completely clean the activity of these institutions
from the old mentality and old policy. Time is needed for it to be
fulfilled by the people, who run these institutions, and moreover,
more time is needed to record results among those, who have been
influenced by the activity of very institutions.
In other words, our post-electoral processes, Georgia’s post-electoral
processes, I am sure also Azerbaijan’s future processes show that
the lack of society’s confidence to these institutions is so big that
they believe that the changes are to come from the street.
Is it a way leading to Europe? I believe yes.
The events concerning our elections are the best example
of it. Everybody mentioned that there was progress in the
elections. No one expected perfect elections, only better ones. We
did better. However, as the confidence level was so low and the
expectations so high, the needs so urgent, the better was not good
enough yet. They took to the streets thinking that a permanent
political revolution means political progress.
We know that it is not this way. We have already had our political and
economic revolutions in our region. What we have not had is social. And
in the next decade, on our way to Europe, we will come and ask you to
work with us and to help us carry out a social revolution: to carry
out large-scale and profound changes especially through two spheres,
mass media and education.
Just like Europe’s way to Europe lasted more than a century, our way
will also take some time. But together, I am sure, it will not last
so long."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
