Vahan Shirkhanyan speaks out...

Vahan Shirkhanyan recently answered questions in Los Angeles, and was, one might say, motivational. Below is the video made available on Massis Weekly's online site. Here is the link. I've pulled out some of my favorite sections and done a rough translation below...
For those who don't know, Mr. Shirkhanyan was very active in the Movement in 1988. He had been with the government since Independence in 1991 and worked closely with LTP and Vazgen Sargsyan. He was very close, both personally and politically, with Vazgen Sargsyan, until he was killed. From 1995-1999, he was Deputy Defense Minister. From 1999-2000 he was Deputy Prime Minister under Aram Sargsyan. He joined the Hunchakyan party in 2008. He is highly decorated for his efforts in the NK war.


He said Armenians should demand that SS not be involved in the negotiations, and encouraged the Diaspora to hold demonstrations in Washington, Paris, etc...

“By official numbers, 800,000 have left the country under RK.” Those who left, he said, are those who are industrious workers, they leave children and elderly behind and care for them. As a result, there is a deformation in Armenian society. “There are children who don’t have the guidance of their fathers; there are the elderly, who have no one to care for them.”
“Now picture the voting process under these conditions. The elderly don’t take risks, if someone gives them 5000 drams they say ‘well, this is good, at least it provides me with one month’s nourishment.’ …And in the place of those absent workers, the government votes. It turns out that emigration has become an important method of winning the elections...”

“Everything should be done to stop this, but the biggest obstruction is the authorities. The authorities have to change. RK has caused so much damage that correcting them will take many years to change…and some damages will never be corrected...”

There was a question from the audience: “We understand the need for change in authority. How do you see the path that would lead to a change in the authorities?”

VS: “If you take classic text book examples, there are altogether a few paths. Political struggle, elections, change of government through elections; if that doesn’t work, meetings, demonstrations, protests asking for resignations; if that doesn’t work, pressure from big countries due to which the government resigns; if that doesn’t work, internal change as a result of which the government resigns; if that doesn’t work, revolution; and if that doesn’t work, the last resort assassinations. These are classic, textbook examples, not what I’m saying. These are the paths to pass from dictatorship to democracy... TerPetrosyan has chosen the most civilized path and that is the path of political struggle... and I’m sure it will yield results.”