The Lebanese-Armenians are the most organized community of the classical Diaspora, which ․․․․ He is very sensitive to the rumors about correcting the statements or approaches made to Turkey today.
Our interlocutor is political analyst, editor-in-chief of “Azdak” newspaper published in Beirut Shahan Kantaharian
The situation in Lebanon remains tense. What steps are being taken to resolve the political and economic crisis?
Yes, unfortunately you are right ․ The situation in Lebanon continues to be tense, it is an accumulation of very uncertain, crisis circumstances. The spread of the epidemic is rapid, the financial collapse is due to the fact that the Lebanese currency has fallen sharply, ostensibly as a result of the two, many social problems, from hospital overcrowding to large-scale expansion of the needy poor. To this must be added the failure to reach an agreement necessary to form a government. Therefore, there are no operative actions to overcome the obstacles.
Is there an emigration mood in the Armenian community?
First of all, it must be said that the lack of prospects and the acute financial and economic crisis will naturally lead to a mass exodus of outflows. This is a general theory – it applies to any country in the world in such situations, including Lebanon. Lebanese society is developing moods to leave, the number of those who make such programs is growing. However, the problem reveals difficult circumstances in the current conditions. The banking system is frozen, people can no longer use their accounts. There is no monetary movement, which characterized the Lebanese economy as a flexible banking system. The sale and purchase of real estate has frozen, and the outflow from the country implies funds that are lacking for the citizens.
How solvable is the crisis in Lebanon, is the community participating in the protests?
Lebanon is under economic blockade as a means of suppressing political preconditions. There are three main points that have been raised as a precondition. The first is the disarmament or neutralization of Hezbollah from state life, the second is the start of the process of demarcation with Israel for the use of offshore energy; This means that the problems are related to external forces; if they do not comply, economic sanctions apply, in this case an economic blockade of a financial nature. The rest, in the composition of the government, the elimination of corruption, the undertaking of reforms, are derivative problems for external forces or the main regional players. Civic outbursts are understandable ․ People want to restore civil rights, see improvements փոխարին replace the community system with the formation of a civil state. The Armenian community does not officially take part in such protests, but of course, there are individual Lebanese Armenian citizens who have taken to the streets to protest against such a difficult situation.
To what extent do the internal political developments in Armenia affect the mood of the community?
Lebanese-Armenians have always not only followed the events in Armenia, but also actively participated in various patriotic activities. The connections are multi-sectoral. Recently, before the war, the number of those who received RA citizenship had sharply increased. Many Lebanese-Armenians had bought apartments in Armenia, had bank accounts, and the interest of young people in getting higher education in Armenia had begun to grow. Lebanese Airlines currently operates regular flights to Yerevan. It is natural that the aftermath of the Artsakh war – the loss of land, thousands of victims, the signing of a unilateral concession declaration – had a negative impact on Lebanese-Armenians who are already in a difficult situation in terms of Lebanon. The Lebanese-Armenians are the most organized community of the classical Diaspora, which is at the forefront of the struggle against Turkey. Therefore, he is very sensitive to the rumors about correcting the statements or approaches made to Turkey today.