One of the ways to preserve the heritage is to enrich it in a new way, to add something new to the existing one.
Convention Participant
In the case of the development of such events, we will not have a Diaspora in the modern sense after 100 years. Connections and relationships between individual people are important, but they are few. We need connections at the interstate, governmental, and other level, programs that will keep the Diaspora viable.
Convention Participant
A powerful Armenia needs a strategic and innovative development plan, an economic development plan. We need to develop and disseminate state ideology. We claim to have all these, but in reality we are strongly lacking in all three.
Convention Participant
Ծնելիության թվի նվազումը և արտագաղթի հիմնական պատճառները կապված է անվտանգային հարցերի, անարդարության մթնոլորտի և սոցիալական վատ վիճակի հետ։
Համաժողովի մասնակից
An Armenian is a person with a value system. When he actively participates in certain processes to achieve his goals, then he is already a political person, a committed person. An Armenian is a person who should be able to benefit those around him, regardless of whether there are Armenians around him or not.
Convention Participant
We must continue to educate. Education will provide us with distinct abilities so that we can respond correctly and quickly to the changing situation and advance our interests.
Convention Participant
The state should finance teachers to teach Diaspora Armenians Armenian. In addition, there could be grants, as a result of which young people would participate in Armenian language courses.
Convention Participant
Добрый день! Не так давно я пришёл к выводу, что более 70% учеников в 9-11 классе даже не знают кем хотят быть. Это влечет за собой большие проблемы, связанные с недостатком мотивации для подготовки к экзаменам. На мой взгляд, позитивную роль в решении данной проблемы могла бы сыграть следующая модернизация образования. Утвердить достаточно обширный список профессий, первое ознакомление с которыми можно провести для школьников, пригласить туда представителей данных профессий для первоначального ознакомления с ними и давать школьникам решать реальные кейсы из разных сфер с последующим получением качественного фидбека. На мой взгляд, множеству школьников это поможет понять кем они хотят стать, повысит их уровень мотивации и, как следствие, уровень успеваемости. Благодарю за уделенное время!
Арсен Д.
Signatory
Both the Diaspora and Armenia should work toward the establishment of democracy in Turkey, because that is one of the main paths toward recognition of the Genocide.
Convention Participant
There can be unity of the Armenian nation only around the issue of security. This is the point around which Armenians can unite.
Convention Participant
I have an idea that I would like to share with you, in the hope that this can be realized in the near future.
I believe that any Armenian of good faith would agree to such a proposal because it could bring Armenia out of the current situation and grow the country as a modern and advanced state. We Armenians have a human richness that few other peoples in the world, except perhaps the Jews who have had situations similar to the Armenian people throughout history. This rare richness is the rich Armenian Diaspora with talented characters in different sectors and with experiences acquired by the States of residence. A concrete way to exploit this wealth could be to include in the Constitution of the Country:
1. A Superior Senate to oversee the Armenian Parliament, with tasks and powers of verification, requests for amendments or approvals, and issuance of approvals for the repeal of any Law
2. The members of the Senate should be elected by all the Armenian people including Armenians of the Diaspora, even if they do not hold Armenian citizenship.
3. The candidates of these elections, not necessarily citizens, must be people with high professional qualifications and willing to devote at least 30% of their time to issues concerning Armenia and follow a specific course of legislation to act in this Senate.
4. In this way none of them could be maneuvered or threatened or routed by the authorities of the Armenian government, and make truly free decisions for the sole good of Armenia.
5. The Senate itself should be able to review the various institutions of the State by making adjustments and raising the qualification of local institutions, on a par or better than other States in the world.
6. The participation of the Armenians of diaspora, in addition to participating in the elections of the "Upper Senate", must also include participation in assessing mandatory taxation, expenses (for example military expenses), management, and verification by the S.S.
To achieve such a system of government, the impetus should come from the Armenian citizens, who must first be informed of the possibility of carrying out such a plan. To this end an organization of people endowed with intelligence, financial dispositions and patriotism could promote the initiative of informing through the media and internet all Armenians of the Diaspora and RoA for the realization of the plan giving their support to the organization to achieve the proposed goal.
I am not a Legislator to draw up a specific Road Map, but the relevant experts and appropriate people can be appointed for this purpose, I believe that every Armenian of the Armenian Republic or the Diaspora will agree to the realization of such a plan.
Who knows if such an action will be carried out or is it just my utopia?
Heratch A., Italy
Signatory
First of all, I salute this great work of analysis and reflection that you have carried out.
Here are my brief remarks:
Tourism. Indeed, the near absence of direct flights and at "comfortable" times is a real brake. Moreover, there is a lack of translated Armenian literature and tourist guides about Armenia in European bookstores. There is an obvious lack of general knowledge about Armenia (culture/art, architecture, music, cuisine...) and its history. It is necessary to publish books for potential tourists who are looking for original and authentic destinations.
Tourism that includes the discovery of Armenia's rich biogeography should be developed (in addition to ecotourism and cultural and religious tourism).
Agriculture: some serious questions to be asked. I will be very cautious with the proposal of intensification in the agricultural field (fertilizers, chemistry/phytosanitary and especially, the seed!). This orientation presents strong environmental and human health risks, as the European experience has shown. Armenia is not an agricultural country that can "feed the world", but it has undeniable assets because Armenia represents a "Hot-spot" of biodiversity and endemism. Thus, more than productivity, it is the promotion (and conservation!) of endemic and local species that should be put forward. Moreover, it would be necessary to think about "seed banks of crops and "wild" plant species" to be developed or to enrich the existing world collections. I see Armenia as a country where organic agricultural production would be largely dominant: these are modern "trends" that can bring a real added value to our agricultural or natural products without such a significant harm to the environment and health of intensive and technological agriculture. The world is in full restructuring and abandonment of intensive agricultural production: we must join this movement and preserve our small country.
" The use of advanced seeds and agricultural technology” - concretely, what are we referring to (not the "Monsanto" type approach, I hope)?
Focus on production of essential products (grains, fodder, pork) to achieve self-sufficiency and food security. Expansion of exports to target countries (Russia, Ukraine, UAE, Saudi Arabia), including fruits, tobacco and wine products.
Why focus on pig farming? One of the most problematic breeding from an ecological point of view! - Only "traditional" extensive breeding, in semi-freedom (like in Corsica or Spain: food by the big oak trees, etc.) could be suitable, in my opinion. Ex. sheep and goats in mountain pastures, etc.
We could promote/export cheeses, dairy products (matsoun type, etc.) in Russia and elsewhere; our canning factories (vegetables, fruits) are famous...
Eventually, "local" spirits.
Reclamation of fallow lands to expand land use by encouraging consolidation to increase production
Attention should be paid to soil depletion (a big problem in the world) and in Europe at present, while Armenia does not have large cultivable areas (except for the Ararat valley).
It is necessary to think about the establishment of the units of treatment - valorization of manure / dung / organic waste in general. Currently, there are organic fertilizers production units (humic and fulvic acids, etc.) which are not very energy consuming and should be installed near the farms/sources of raw materials.
Use of high technologies in agriculture: yes (e.g. use of satellite data for crop management), but taking into account the climatic, geological and edaphic specificities of Armenia - a whole applied science to develop!
In a general way, I noticed serious problems of waste disposal and garbage cans in Armenia (no sorting nor recycling/valorization of waste)...
The energy question is not addressed in the summary, although it is a key question for all the economic and social branches and a sine qua non condition for the independence of the country. What about "renewable" resources (solar, geothermal, hydro...)?
About the management of water resources - France seems to me to be a good example with its watershed approach, applying the "polluter-pays" principle, the mutualization of fees to safeguard the environment... Water is declared a non-alienable national asset.
Education / Teaching: languages - in addition to English, Russian could make a comeback so that Russian specialists can contribute their knowledge. Today, only the generation of the 60-70s still speaks Russian + the diaspora in Russia.
I am not sure that the public education in the USA (except for the big schools and universities) is an example to be taken! Serious problems are well known in the schools (kindergarten, primary, secondary, high school) in the USA. Good examples are Finland and Korea.
Health: Armenia can develop a network of health care centers (in particularly suitable places: mountains, thermal waters, as in Switzerland) or personal services for foreign retirees (especially of Armenian origin).
Industry/ technology: Transition from low-cost outsourcing to specialized value-added services to increase productivity and protect the economy from the growth of multinational corporations
Yes and yes again! Armenia was once known by the production of high value-added goods. It would be necessary to find the fields where specialization and high qualification of workers can be an asset and compete with China and India (electronics, IT...). Moreover, this field will allow the development of partnerships with foreign countries. Quality and originality (at the cutting edge of technology) are the key words for Armenia (like Japan).
I hope that my questions and my personal feeling can help to better formulate the directions to be developed in Armenia.
