ARF World Congress issued declaration

YEREVAN—On July 1, after conclusion of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation 31st World Congress, a declaration was issued, the English translation of which we provide below:

In closely examining the politico-national state of the homeland and the Diaspora, the maximum potential of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity, the Republic of Armenia’s current domestic, socio-economic, and ethical condition, as well as its principal challenges, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s 31st World Congress states:

1. Our goal of having a sovereign, democratic, lawful, and socially engaged state, which is a player in regional and world politics, remains unrealized.

2. In struggling to maintain its Armenian identity, the Diaspora continues to find itself faced with adverse conditions which require the highest level of involvement and unity to overcome.

3. The Artsakh conflict remains unsettled, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh has yet to receive de jure independence in the eyes of the international community, and the military-political, inalterable gains of the war we were forced into have not yet been secured.

4. Owing to the Turkey’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide and refusal to address our calls for restitution, Armenian-Turkish relations were doomed to failure from the outset. It is necessary that Armenia withdraw its signature from the Armenia-Turkey 4. Protocols immediately and, with this, close the case on these ill-fated protocols.

5. Within the Republic of Armenia:
a. The current administration’s socio-economic policies are not in the interest of the majority of the country’s denizens.

b. As poverty increases and confidence in the future dwindles, out-migration has become a dangerous trend.

c. The government’s political and economic policies have led to the growth of monopolies, the lack of a free market, and wide-spread dispossession.

d. The lack of protection of individual and collective rights and freedoms has hindered social progress and the development of a politically engaged citizenry.

e. The disparity between government promises and the realities of life in Armenia have resulted in citizens losing faith in the democratic process of a responsible government.

f. Moving forth from these statements, the World Congress announces:

The principal issue on the ARF’s political agenda and in the forthcoming general elections will be the realization of regime change and systemic improvements, the establishment of nationally focused and socially just policies, the efficient use of a healthy political system, and the general advancement of Armenia.

We are confident that the citizens of Armenia and Armenians around the world are able to focus their strengths to create a promising future for our homeland and people.

We have the ability to ensure the sustainable development of our country, a pro-Armenian solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Turkish-Armenian relations, a just resolution to the Armenian Genocide, and the safety of Javakhk Armenians, all without jeopardizing our national achievements, goals and interests.

We can breathe new air into relations between Armenia and the Diaspora, and ensure that in complementing one another’s strengths, we present a unified Armenian voice to the world. These relations must become of the utmost importance, and the Diaspora must become more politically engaged and organized.

We are obliged to make Armenia a strong, democratic, socially just, and developed state, where the individual and people can look to the future with certainty and hope, living prosperous and constructive lives. We must be able to overcome internal division and hostility, look past personal or group interests, establish a lawful and socially just government, and place our country back on the right path.

At the doorstep of the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation reaffirms its will and conviction to do both the possible and impossible for Armenians and for the unwavering ascendance of the republic.

ARF 31st World Congress
July 1, 2011
Dzaghgatsor, Armenia