What is “wrong” or “fine” with the Armenian population?

Areg Gharabegian

In recent years, the Armenian population in Armenia and the Diaspora has been polarized basically between three major poles, supporters and opponents of the existing regime in Armenia, and people who are larger than the other two combined, but they do not care about their nation and are not ready to do anything for her wellbeing. I am not an expert in the social behavior of people and/or their political standing; however, by spending most of my time in Armenia for the last 10 years, I see things and hear what people say. In this writeup, I have listed things that I have personally witnessed and heard lately to give you a general idea about the nation’s state of mind.

After reading this article, one may say I am an opposition member and that is why I say what I say. Others would think that I do not like to have fun and enjoy luxury things, yet, others could have different takes. My goal has been to list different acts and events to portray the status of the nation the way I see it. After reading this, you can come to your own conclusion.

The government has opened a legal case against Catholicos Karekin II because, despite a court order, he refused to reinstate a bishop he had dismissed from the church since he had sided with the government against the church. It was announced that the first court hearing was on a Friday afternoon in Etchmiadzin. It was anticipated that a large crowd would gather in front of the courthouse to support the Catholicos, but there were only about 2,000 people present. I had parked on a side street behind the court house to avoid traffic. As I was walking away, a resident standing on his door step asked me what was going on. I asked him if had heard the news but he hadn’t, so I told him about it and asked if he would be joining the crowd. He shrugged his shoulders and it was clear that he had no intention of supporting the Catholicos.

The next evening there was a musical event with a light show at the Garni Temple where there were at least twice as many people than the ones in front of the courthouse. Participants were mainly young people, who had paid 10,000 to 20,000 drams ($28 to $55) depending on when they had bought their tickets, and traveled for more than an hour from Yerevan to participate. Everyone seemed happy and enjoying the event under the open sky and drinking overpriced coffee or alcoholic drinks sold on the premises.

You can come to your own conclusion about these two events and determine how people think about having a good time versus supporting the church. I am not a regular church goer or a believer, but I respect the Armenian Apostolic Church as it acted as the de facto government for the Armenian nation when we did not have a government for 1,000 years.

In the last 12 months, I have flown in and out of Yerevan16 times. Each time, the flight was full and Armenians were going abroad for vacation or returning from one. It is also interesting that on flights over the Atlantic, the large majority of the passengers in Business class or Premium class are typically Armenians. One can see Armenians in Dubai malls with bags from designer stores and at the top restaurants or hotels such as the Atlantis Royal. I was in Athens and never saw any Armenian in the historic sites or museums, but I noticed Armenians at restaurants in Athens Riviera with food covering the entire table and they were toasting continuously.

I was seated at the pool bar in Sharm el Sheikh and wind up helping a young Armenian guy to order a drink. Then we started talking and I asked him if he was there for vacation. He said that he was there for two weeks for his honeymoon. Keep in mind that it was a five-star adult only hotel at the beach. There were also other Armenians in this hotel. I need to mention that there are four flights every morning from Yerevan to Sharm el Sheikh. One can conclude that a large number of the population has money and enjoys the good life. One should not expect from such people to be active in opposition to the present regime as they do not wish to rock the boat.

Few weeks ago, I met a high school classmate who was visiting Armenia for the second time after eight years from his first visit. He had flown Turkish Airlines from Los Angeles to Yerevan and he was praising the good service and nice planes of that airline. I was in Zvartnots airport the other day for a short visit to Europe. When I walked in the departure hall, the Turkish Airlines was the first counter and its customers’ line was so long that was getting close to the main entrance. It seems Armenians have no issue flying with Turkish Airlines, even after the old and new history with Turks. Isn’t their president who brags these days that Turkey freed Artsakh from Armenians?

In a recent afternoon I met a friend from Armavir marz who clearly was upset. I asked him why is he upset. He mentioned that he was in their village and had an argument with a bunch of villagers who were saying that opening the border with Turkey will be good for them as they can sell their tomatoes and cucumbers to the Turks and become rich. He mentioned that he tried to explain to them that Turkey is the world’s largest tomato producer and they would not need our tomatoes, but according to him, this did not register in their thick heads. One needs to ask these villagers why all these years they have not been selling their tomatoes to Iran where the border is open and it is much closer to the Armavir marz than Turkey. In which category should we put these naive villagers?

I needed a new set of tires for my car, so I went to a store that is the representative of a major tire brand in Armenia which was recommended by a friend. As I was waiting for the tires to be installed, I started talking with the owner. Once he found out that I am from Los Angeles, he mentioned that his family is also in Glendale and he goes to visit them regularly because he has a green card. He was also a staunch supporter of the government and was telling me that now everything is much better in Armenia. So, I asked him that if he supports the government and if he thinks everything is fine, then why is his family in the US? His response was that his daughter is going to medical school at UCLA and his son has to start college in the US next year. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was wondering how I dare to question his life choices. Isn’t this an oxymoron? He supports the regime and thinks that they are doing a great job, but then apparently it is not good enough for his family.

On August 8,1990, ARF announced returning its organizational structure to Armenia in a full house opera building with thousands standing outside. Fast forward 36 years to 1 pm on Saturday August 8, 2026, when it was announced that there will be a gathering at Yerablour for the anniversary of that day and to pay respect to those that have fallen during the Artsakh wars. Only 64 people were present. Do we need to be concerned and upset? Maybe not. After all, ARF members are part of the same people who now prefer to have fun, drink, and eat in fancy places. Besides restaurants, bars, and clubs in Yerevan, there are now lots of fancy places in other parts of Armenia where people go to have a good time. As we were returning from Garni Temple the other evening, I saw several new outdoor restaurants that were full and playing live music. Then we had to go through Jrvezh on the way to Yerevan, where there was heavy traffic because there were parties or weddings at several fancy halls. Apparently, that is what people want these days.

Summer evenings are nice and warm in Yerevan; therefore, one can find lots of outside gatherings and events. One week there is a wine festival, another week there is a beer festival, and then there are free concerts in the Republic Square. In all such events, there are thousands of people and it is hard to move around. This year there are concerts on the rooftop of the Opera building where tickets are typically 20,000 drams ($55). If you want to attend, then you need to purchase your ticket as soon as the event is announced, otherwise it will be sold out.

We went to Gyumri for two days. After having a late lunch, I drove toward the center of the city to go to the hotel. Some roads were closed by the police and there were traffic congestions in other roads around the main square. I found out that there was a free concert scheduled for that evening as it was the “International Youth Day.” A stage was set at the end of Abovyan Street, which is a pedestrian only street. When the concert started that evening, the entire street was full of people.

I remembered the gathering that was organized during the Serbazan movement at the open area in front of Gyumri Cultural Center. At the time, the organizers thought that a good number of citizens participated, but the crowd for the free concert was much larger. It is possible that the next leader of Armenia could be a popular singer who will ask thousands of supporters to vote for him/her. No doubt that a large number would vote, as most of the voters in Armenia do not care about the person’s standing on different issues or the platform of the candidate, but they vote for a person whom they like. Do not think that this thought is ridiculous, as before the last elections, I was talking with someone and she mentioned that she will not be voting for Kocharyan (Armenia Alliance), because she does not like his daughter-in-law Sirusho, a famous singer in Armenia.

Recently I was talking with a Diaspora Armenian who was telling me that Armenia has flourished in the last few years and as proof he was mentioning that roads have been asphalted, there are new fancy buildings in Yerevan, people are driving nice cars, and the Yerevan center is like a European city. In a sense he is right, but then one needs to look deeper to see issues with the so-called flourishment. In 28 years since independence, Armenia has accumulated $7 billion foreign loans and then in the last eight years, the foreign loans have ballooned by another $7 billion. Of course, if you pump that much money in such a short time in a small country like Armenia, there will be signs of flourishment, but then the question is how and who will pay back all these loans. Armenia’s economy is not strong enough to be able to generate enough cash to pay back $14 billion. This is an issue that people do not look at carefully and they become happy with immediate results without thinking about future consequences.

Cascade is one of Yerevan’s major landmarks and my favorite place to go to have lunch or dinner. Now, in summer evenings the city plans events there such as free concerts where they setup a stage at the base of the Cascade or dance events where people dance traditional Armenian dances. It is hard to find even a standing spot on the steps of Cascade, especially when there are free concerts.

Someone looking from the sidelines would get the impression that everything is fine in Armenia; however, if one goes to the villages far from Yerevan, one can see the poverty, dirt roads, and mediocre housing. It is good to have fun once in a while, but not have all the fun at the center of Yerevan and neglect the villages.

I have listed some thoughts and events that at first may look random, but I think there is a pattern showing on how most Armenian people think or act. Based on these items, one may be able to conclude if something is “wrong” with the Armenian population or everything is “fine.” You be the judge of that.