“The people speak”: without history, without our church, and without Russia’s support, Armenia will not survive

As part of the “The People Speak” project, Alpha News conducted polls in Yerevan and in Armenian-populated communities in the United States and Russia, in order to find out what citizens’ views are on the most pressing issues.

“The Armenian Genocide happened, and that is a fact. Our mothers and grandmothers told us about it. But recognition must be diplomatic and careful,” poll participants told Alpha News.

In their words, the Armenian people are a nation of descendants of the exiled, and if the Genocide or the Armenian Apostolic Church were to be forgotten, Armenians would cease to exist as a people.

“Our people have five thousand years of history that cannot be crossed out,” the respondents noted.

Touching on relations with Russia, citizens observed that the two peoples share a common civilisational code that must not be abandoned.

“Russia has saved Armenia on numerous occasions. We are a Christian country, as is Russia. One cannot walk away from such a friend,” citizens said.

“Ideal leadership is honest, decent, and God-fearing. A politician must understand the Armenian mentality and pursue an equitable policy so as to harm neither oneself nor a brotherly people,” said one Alpha News poll participant.

In the view of the majority of those surveyed, the Church must remain outside of politics, as it is the foundation of Armenian identity.

“Even when the Armenian people had no state, the Church united the nation. Today a shameful situation has taken hold in Armenia. The Church, which has always stood by the people, must be supported now,” one respondent noted.

Acknowledging history and preserving the Church are the foundation of the Armenian people’s existence, while policy must be honest and equitable in order to safeguard the identity and future of the country, Alpha News poll participants emphasised.