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PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens' Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 - 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 - 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nci.am
April 20, 2006
NCI Targets Corruption in Armenia
Yerevan--The National Citizens' Initiative (NCI) today convened a
roundtable on "Corrupt Society: Who is to Blame?" The meeting brought
together social and political activists, human rights advocates,
analysts, experts, and media representatives. Members of world donor
organizations were likewise invited to the event.
NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian welcomed the audience with opening
remarks. "One of the key problems facing the Armenian society is
corruption by the ruling authorities and this vice has also spread
onto a large segment of the body politic like a virus. The mentality
of and the mode of operation by many has become fraudulent, and
based upon petty self interests, the deception, the swindling, and
the abuse of official and social status have grown to be ordinary
and even acceptable occurrences," he said. In Khurshudian's words,
the first ones to fight against this phenomenon that aims at damaging
different social strata must be the media, the NGOs, the political
parties, and the international donor associations in particular by
whose subsidies the civil society is established to a great extent.
According to Khurshudian, at times the financing by these
associations is itself turning into grounds for corruption and this
is impermissible.
In his intervention, the first speaker, chairman Karen Hakobian of
the "Huis" NGO briefly presented the history behind and the cases of
corruption inside the "Professionals for Civil Society" NGO. He stated
that they had even appealed to the court in order to tackle this evil,
but it had become clear that the court's ruling was already made prior
to hearing the case. In Hakobian's words, this is not a single instance
and has become prevalent and widely accepted. All this, according
to Hakobian, brings about the incorrect handling of grants. He also
pointed out that since the Machiavellian precept of "the end justifies
the means" is still widespread and the constitutional amendments are
passed by way of falsifications in Armenia, these allotments cannot
serve their true purpose: the better protection of human rights and
societal interests.
During his talk concerning "Legalized Arbitrariness at the National
Academy of Sciences," the next speaker, Academician Anri Nersisian
charged the Academy's former president Fadey Sargsian of violating
numerous rules and regulations, unlawfully privatizing the property
belonging to the Academy and ineffectively managing the state funding
being made to the Academy. In Nersisian's firm belief, this comes to
prove that Sargsian had acted in marginal self gain and usurped to
a large extent.
In her intervention on "Art and the 'Distribution' of Funding," art
expert Susanna Giulamirian talked about the story of an unsuccessful
attempt at providing a grant. As the tale goes, since individual
petitions are not accepted for unknown set of rules, Giulamirian had
to appeal to a local social association in order to petition the "Open
Society Armenia" NGO for sponsoring a project called "European-style
Remodeling in the Post-Soviet Space." And by winning the grant, she
started the project which also included the holding of an exhibition of
the works by arts and craftsmen of the region. However, the chairman
of the "Actual Art" local social association, through which the
funding project was introduced to the "Open Society Armenia" NGO,
demanded ten percent of the financial support.
Giulamirian naturally refused. Then "Actual Art's" chairman started to
threaten the latter as a result of which Giulamirian made an appeal to
"Open Society Armenia" so as to change her partnering association. But
she was denied on the grounds that her evidence concerning the local
NGO's dishonest conduct was impossible to confirm. Subsequently,
Susanna Giulamirian was com pelled to discontinue the grant.
The remainder of the session was devoted to exchanges of views and
policy recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists
in attendance. Also noteworthy were interventions by Armenia's first
Ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian; Valery Brusov Yerevan State Linguistic
University professor Hrach Tatevian; legal attorney Zaruhi Postanjian;
research director of the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies Stiopa Safarian; chairman of Armenian Helsinki Association
Mikael Danielian; Ruzan Khachaturian from the People's Party of
Armenia; Tamar Gevorgian of the United Labor Party; Gevorg Kalenchian
from the Heritage Party; Vazgen Karapetian of the Catholic Relief
Services; Gohar Armenakian from the Soldier's Protection Committee;
chairwoman Artemis Lepejian of the "St. Sandukht" NGO; Vakhtang
Siradeghian from the Transparency International Organization; members
of other social organizations; men and women of arts and crafts;
and many others.
The National Citizens' Initiative is a public non-profit association
founded in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues,
and fellow citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law
and overall improvements in the state of the state, society, and
public institutions.
The National Citizens' Initiative is guided by a Coordinating
Council, which includes individual citizens and representatives of
various public, scientific, and educational establishments. Five
commissions on Law and State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues,
Foreign Policy, Spiritual and Cultural Challenges, and the Youth
constitute the vehicles for the Initiative's work and outreach.
For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03;
fax (37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected]; or visit www.nci.am
The National Citizens' Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 - 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 - 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nci.am
April 20, 2006
NCI Targets Corruption in Armenia
Yerevan--The National Citizens' Initiative (NCI) today convened a
roundtable on "Corrupt Society: Who is to Blame?" The meeting brought
together social and political activists, human rights advocates,
analysts, experts, and media representatives. Members of world donor
organizations were likewise invited to the event.
NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian welcomed the audience with opening
remarks. "One of the key problems facing the Armenian society is
corruption by the ruling authorities and this vice has also spread
onto a large segment of the body politic like a virus. The mentality
of and the mode of operation by many has become fraudulent, and
based upon petty self interests, the deception, the swindling, and
the abuse of official and social status have grown to be ordinary
and even acceptable occurrences," he said. In Khurshudian's words,
the first ones to fight against this phenomenon that aims at damaging
different social strata must be the media, the NGOs, the political
parties, and the international donor associations in particular by
whose subsidies the civil society is established to a great extent.
According to Khurshudian, at times the financing by these
associations is itself turning into grounds for corruption and this
is impermissible.
In his intervention, the first speaker, chairman Karen Hakobian of
the "Huis" NGO briefly presented the history behind and the cases of
corruption inside the "Professionals for Civil Society" NGO. He stated
that they had even appealed to the court in order to tackle this evil,
but it had become clear that the court's ruling was already made prior
to hearing the case. In Hakobian's words, this is not a single instance
and has become prevalent and widely accepted. All this, according
to Hakobian, brings about the incorrect handling of grants. He also
pointed out that since the Machiavellian precept of "the end justifies
the means" is still widespread and the constitutional amendments are
passed by way of falsifications in Armenia, these allotments cannot
serve their true purpose: the better protection of human rights and
societal interests.
During his talk concerning "Legalized Arbitrariness at the National
Academy of Sciences," the next speaker, Academician Anri Nersisian
charged the Academy's former president Fadey Sargsian of violating
numerous rules and regulations, unlawfully privatizing the property
belonging to the Academy and ineffectively managing the state funding
being made to the Academy. In Nersisian's firm belief, this comes to
prove that Sargsian had acted in marginal self gain and usurped to
a large extent.
In her intervention on "Art and the 'Distribution' of Funding," art
expert Susanna Giulamirian talked about the story of an unsuccessful
attempt at providing a grant. As the tale goes, since individual
petitions are not accepted for unknown set of rules, Giulamirian had
to appeal to a local social association in order to petition the "Open
Society Armenia" NGO for sponsoring a project called "European-style
Remodeling in the Post-Soviet Space." And by winning the grant, she
started the project which also included the holding of an exhibition of
the works by arts and craftsmen of the region. However, the chairman
of the "Actual Art" local social association, through which the
funding project was introduced to the "Open Society Armenia" NGO,
demanded ten percent of the financial support.
Giulamirian naturally refused. Then "Actual Art's" chairman started to
threaten the latter as a result of which Giulamirian made an appeal to
"Open Society Armenia" so as to change her partnering association. But
she was denied on the grounds that her evidence concerning the local
NGO's dishonest conduct was impossible to confirm. Subsequently,
Susanna Giulamirian was com pelled to discontinue the grant.
The remainder of the session was devoted to exchanges of views and
policy recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists
in attendance. Also noteworthy were interventions by Armenia's first
Ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian; Valery Brusov Yerevan State Linguistic
University professor Hrach Tatevian; legal attorney Zaruhi Postanjian;
research director of the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies Stiopa Safarian; chairman of Armenian Helsinki Association
Mikael Danielian; Ruzan Khachaturian from the People's Party of
Armenia; Tamar Gevorgian of the United Labor Party; Gevorg Kalenchian
from the Heritage Party; Vazgen Karapetian of the Catholic Relief
Services; Gohar Armenakian from the Soldier's Protection Committee;
chairwoman Artemis Lepejian of the "St. Sandukht" NGO; Vakhtang
Siradeghian from the Transparency International Organization; members
of other social organizations; men and women of arts and crafts;
and many others.
The National Citizens' Initiative is a public non-profit association
founded in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues,
and fellow citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law
and overall improvements in the state of the state, society, and
public institutions.
The National Citizens' Initiative is guided by a Coordinating
Council, which includes individual citizens and representatives of
various public, scientific, and educational establishments. Five
commissions on Law and State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues,
Foreign Policy, Spiritual and Cultural Challenges, and the Youth
constitute the vehicles for the Initiative's work and outreach.
For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03;
fax (37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected]; or visit www.nci.am