Aida Hovhannisyan: Armenia Has Its Problems and It Should Be Admitted as It Is

• 09.21.2016, 14:13
• Naira Mkrtchyan
•  Armenia,  Diaspora,  Interview

On the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia’s independence "Armedia" IAA presents an interview with a repatriate, director of "ADR Partners"Alternative Dispute Resolution Services, arbiter, lecturer, Doctor of Law, Aida Hovhannisyan.

 - In 1991 Armenia became independent. How did you react to that?

- Both independence in 1918 and this one were not unexpected to certain extent, it just happened that way. That is to say in the region the situation was such that among others Armenia also got its independence. At that time I was working in England. Naturally, it was quite happy news although my attitude was not that emotional as that of other Diaspora Armenians. That is to say I did not expect that the doors of the heaven would immediately open. Has not Armenia, like other countries, its difficulties, good and bad people? And naturally we should accept Armenia as it is, not as we imagine it. This is the reason why it took me long time to make a decision to come to Armenia. For the first time I came to Armenia in 1996 to get acquainted here, then in 2012 came for a permanent residence.

- Please, tell a little about you?

- I am an Iranian Armenian, lawyer and I worked as a lawyer in Iran and England. In those countries I was always part of our national life. For years I was a member of the diocesan council in Tehran, for 8 periods I was chairman of the diocesan council which is considered an executive body of the community. For years I was a member of the Armenian National Committee, where I also acted as a chair. 

- Now Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi Armenians live in Armenia, many of whom continue to communicate only with their acquaintances. Is it your case as well?

- I do not consider it something positive because I cannot understand what it means to form "ghetto" in Armenia. In Iran if you are an Armenian then naturally you live with a community life; however you cannot do the same in Armenia. So I communicate with everybody.

- Was not it difficult for you to leave your life in Iran and start a new one here?

- No. First of all I made a decision, realized what I was doing and did all the necessary preparatory works. I have always been interested in changes, because they become a cause for self-development and self-education. 

- What do you do in Armenia?

- Except legal consultations that are not connected with Armenia I have the company that deals with arbitration, mediation that is to say with alternative dispute resolutions services. This is a sphere that is still developing in Armenia, while I have got years of experience and it is especially important for me to share my experience here particularly with the young generation, because this is the sphere that is  developing in the world.  I am also a lecturer of project finance at the American University of Armenia. I was a lecturer at Eurasian University, while this year I will lecture arbitration at Vanadzor University. Besides adjacent to the American University of Armenia, our company organizes discussions, workshops about arbitrations, to see drawbacks in our laws, to find solutions as there is international experience that needs to be passed to.

- How do you feel in independent Armenia?

- Not only me but also my non-Armenia friends and acquaintances, who visit Armenia, fortunately, state that here a human is a human, human relations continue to be human relations. They are not distorted and are not dictated only by profits. Although, I know that they are also dictated by profits, but it is not that wide-spread. If we view Armenia as a country, despite the fact of my being an Armenian, I will state that I mostly like the very fact that in Armenia a human is a human. If I view Armenia as my homeland then I accept it without conditions with its good and bad sides. I do not need Armenia to be something to feel good. Of course, there are problems, but in any country they are such issues. Armenia has only 25 years of independent statehood. First the idea and principles of statehood are probably still absent a little, and we sometimes consider statehood a synonym to government. Probably, I consider our greatest difficulty the fact that once we are not happy with the government, we are also not happy with the country.

- What is liberation of Arstakh for you?

- I think that Artsakh gave national confidence to our people both in Armenia and Diaspora, that we should not be only victims of massacres but we can also be winners of a war.  And we do not need to give up territories, to destroy statehood, but we can establish what our right is. We should get rid of the psychology of a victim if we wish to move forward in the history. I think that Artsakh was the first step in that direction. And the four-day war came to emphasize it once more.

- How do you see the future of Armenia? What should we change, reform?

- It is a hard question to answer as there are many things that we should reform, but we need time for that. First of all, people should develop and accept the principle that the state is different from government. We should not destroy our country if we are not pleased with the government. If this thinking changes, many things will change. If we are not able to admit it …. A person who takes a bribe and gives his vote, cannot establish a statehood and has no right to have demands from the government. A man should know his right, use it and make demands according to his vote.

- What are your wishes on the occasion of 25^th anniversary of RA independence?

- Let’s prioritize our past and build our future, let us not stay a captive of the past, let’s know our rights and demand.