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  • Armenia's Eleven National Minority Communities Appear to Support Pre

    Armenia's Eleven National Minority Communities Appear to Support
    President Sargsyan

    Mаry Mamyan
    13:41, February 2, 2013


    There are eleven registered minority communities in Armenia and all
    seem to be backing the re-election of President Sargsyan.

    Yuri Yakovenko, President of the Rosya NGO, and a representative of
    the Russian community, told Hetq that the community would be backing
    Sargsyan and said that his organization would be initiating a `get out
    the vote' drive.

    `If we want to build a democratic country and civil society, we must
    learn to respect ourselves, the law, and the constitution. We are
    citizens of Armenia. People must fulfil their duty to vote,' said
    Yakovenko.

    He added that President Sargsyan's platform addresses all outstanding
    issues faced by the community.

    In his campaign platform, President Sargsyan touches on the minorities
    issue twice, once in the `Cultural' section' and again in the
    `Education and Sciences' section.

    In the former, Sargsyan states `We will create additional
    possibilities for national minorities to preserve their ethnic
    identity and to fully manifest their culture'. The latter states, `We
    will expand the possibility for all vulnerable groups with special
    education needs, the youth and national minorities, to receive a
    quality primary education.'

    Presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian touches on national
    minorities once in his campaign platform in a section entitled `The
    new Armenia we will forge together'

    `Everyone living in Armenia, whether an ethnic Armenian or a minority
    member, as well as all our compatriots spread throughout the world,
    will be granted an equal opportunity to receive citizenship and will
    enjoy all the privileges and obligations it provides, including
    voting rights, a life and death of dignity, and equality before the
    law.'

    Nothing regarding minorities is to be found in the platforms of Hrant
    Bagratyan and Paruyr Hayrikian.

    Romanya Yavir, President of the Ukrania Federation in Armenia, told
    Hetq that he is only familiar with President Sargsyan's campaign
    platform.

    Yavir said it's necessary for Sargsyan to continue to implement
    those programs previously started.

    Svetlana Namchevatze, President of the Iverya Georgian charitable
    community, said there were no issues that hadn't been addressed. She
    said that the Georgian community's issues of concerns were always
    raised at the National Minorities National-Cultural Organizations
    Coordinating Council attached to the President's Office.

    `I can't speak for everyone, but I believe that all the national
    minorities understand that our president's policies and positions
    fully satisfy us,' said Namchevatze.

    Arsen Mikhaylov, President of the Atour Assyrian Association, told
    Hetq that he is partially familiar with the platforms of the
    candidates and supports them all.

    `Naturally, we would have liked to see more attention paid to the
    minorities' issue, not only in the president's platform but with the
    other candidates as well. He added that of late the authorities have
    always shown assistance regarding educational and cultural matters.

    Mikhaylov said that even though meetings have yet to be held with
    representatives of the Assyrian community in order to declare a
    general position, they will be held shortly. He said the community
    hopes that Sargsyan gets re-elected.

    Irina Poghosyan, President of the Belarus NGO, said the community
    would be supporting President Sargsyan. She said that she has called
    community representatives and was told that the community is ready to
    go to the polls.

    (The eleven registered minority communities in Armenia are: Assyrian,
    Belarusian, Yezidi, Georgian, German, Greek, Jewish, Kurdish, Polish,
    Russian and Ukrainian)

    http://hetq.am/eng/news/22953/armenias-eleven-national-minority-communities-appear-to-support-president-sargsyan.html



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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