An Interview with Armenian Minister of Urban Planning Davit Lokian

By Jason Sohigian

The following interview was conducted with unger Davit Lokian on June 9 in Cambridge, MA. From 1998-2001 he was a member of the ARF Executive Council of Armenia, from 1998-1999 he was Lieutenant Governor of the Lori region, and in 1999 he was elected to the National Assembly of Armenia.

He served on the Finance-Budget Committee and headed the parliamentary commission investigating energy production and consumption. In January 2001, unger Davit Lokian was appointed Minister of Urban Planning and he heads the Coordinating Committee for the Reconstruction of the Earthquake Zone.

Davit Lokian was born in 1958 in Javakhk. From 1974-1979 he attended the Vanadzor Pedagogical Institute, graduating with high honors in Chemistry and Biology. He completed his graduate studies at the Soviet Armenian Physiological Institute, completing a thesis on "The Physiology of the Brain." He is the author of 32 scientific monographs and two books, and until 1998 he was the head of the Physiological Faculty at the Vanadzor Institute.

Jason Sohigian: When did you move to Armenia from Javakhk?

Davit Lokian: I moved to Armenia in 1974 for my university education. After I received my degree, I was appointed to work at the university in the scientific field. Most of my family is still living in Javakhk, and this region is having problems in the socio-economic level. In the last 15 years, not a single school or cultural institution there has been renovated or given any attention.

JS: What is the process of joining the ARF in Armenia? What types of educational programs exist for people to join the ranks of the party?

DL: There are large numbers of people joining the ranks of the ARF, mainly from the student circles. The process is the same as it is everywhere. They get acquainted with the history of the organization, and the ARF By-Laws and the Tzrakir [Program], and then decide if they want to join.

JS: What is the perception of the party among the general population in Armenia, and what is its strength or influence within the society?

DL: Regarding the issue of how much the ARF has an impact on issues in Armenia, it is important to remember that the ARF is not the governing party in Armenia. Our role is mainly in the National Assembly, where we propose laws or plans of action in order to improve the well-being of the country. Over the last few months alone, there has been a noticeable improvement in Armenia on the social level for the people.

The perception of the ARF among the people is very positive. They consider the ARF to be one of the main players in politics in Armenia. These people may or may not vote for the ARF, but they consider it to be one of the major parties in Armenia. But the approach of the people to the political parties has not been properly established yet. They don't approach the parties by considering their agendas or programs. There are other objective issues which determine the way the people in Armenia are voting now.

JS: Has the ARF faced any opposition because it is an international party? Have there been any more efforts to hinder the work of the party? Are the people in Armenia aware of the work of the party in the Diaspora? In the Diaspora for the past century, we have focused on community building, while in Armenia, the focus is in the governmental level, which is a different role for the party. How can we integrate these two approaches?

DL: The By-Laws of the ARF do not contradict the government or the laws of Armenia in any way. On the contrary, the structure of the ARF as an international organization is helping the Armenian government and the country in general. This occurs especially when Armenians in the Diaspora work on bills recognizing the Armenian Genocide or assisting the government in its economic endeavors. The ARF should not limit itself to community work in the Diaspora because we have reached a new level, and the ARF must work on assisting the government in international institutions and on the political level. For example, we should be assisting the government in New York in the United Nations, or organizing the communities to play a role in their own local elections.

JS: You were instrumental in the study of the energy sector in Armenia, which did not receive much attention in the English-language press. What were some of the findings and where does the investigation stand today? Also, was this investigation primarily the responsibility of the ARF, or were other parties interested in pursuing this issue?

DL: It was other people and political parties who put this issue on the table with the ARF, and it was followed up on by the parliamentary committee which I participated in. The process is still ongoing. After our report was prepared and presented, the judicial part of the investigation began. It is taking time because there is a lot of information to be studied and we are waiting for reporting from Russia, Turkmenistan, and Georgia.

Already $3 million has been returned to the Armenian government. The actions of 15 people are being investigated, and the National Assembly is following up on the subject. It is hoped that this will become an example, and we hope it will show that if somebody steals from the government, it can be investigated even 10 years later and the judicial process can correct the matter.

JS: Can you provide an assessment of Armenia-Diaspora relations? In particular, can you address the perception from the Diaspora of corruption in Armenia and the emigration from the country. Are relations becoming more constructive, as opposed to a reliance only on certain individuals or elements of the Diaspora as we have seen in the past?

DL: Armenia-Diaspora relations are being utilized at probably only five percent of their potential. This is because the relations have not yet been institutionalized. The government has a role to play in achieving this and not keeping it at the level where only certain individuals are asked to do whatever they can. There are some individual Armenians who are helping Armenia on the economic level, but this is not what we should be looking at. We should not look at relations on the sentimental level, but rather that Armenians can do things for their country in an organized way, and that everyone has a role to play.

Concerning the corruption and emigration issues, I am very liberal on the issue of allowing people to decide where they want to live. But I don't condemn those who have emigrated from Armenia and are trying to create the impression that Armenia is an unbearable place and that is why they left. There are many problems in Armenia, as there are in other places such as the United States. The government is not the place to correct every problem. It must also be considered that the US has well over 100 years of government experience, while the Armenian government is only 10 years old and is still being organized. I think these concerns about emigration are not sincere, and they are being used by people to avoid their responsibilities toward Armenia.

JS: And what about the Genocide issue? Is it important in Armenia, beyond the government's statement that it is a part of their foreign policy?

DL: More than 98 percent of the population of Armenia want recognition of the Genocide to be one of the important elements of Armenia's life. They also consider recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey to be one of the most important factors in ensuring the security of Armenia. They feel that this will play a role in preserving the existence of Armenia. The people regard the ARF and the ANC as the main force working for recognition of the Genocide on the international level. There is a small percentage of people doing business in Armenia for which recognition of the Genocide will impact their business, but this is a very small minority. The main point is that you can't find anyone in Armenia who hasn't lost a relative in the Genocide. This is a real issue for the Armenians there, and it is something they live with.

JS: In the Diaspora, Armenian identity and culture is based on the church, language, the arts, food. In Armenia, obviously they have all of these things and they are living on the historic lands of our people. What do you see as the main elements of Armenian cultural life in the homeland? Is the church an important aspect of life there, and are the other parts of Armenian cultural life in any kind of danger following decades of Soviet rule and now westernization?

DL: The church and culture is very important in the Diaspora. In Armenia, after the government opposed the church for more than 60 years, for the last 10 years we have been working on making the church a part our daily life once again. The Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the integral parts in the life of Armenia, and people are starting to develop new relations with the church once again.

On the cultural level, in Armenia the cultural life today compared to five years ago is 200 percent better. The government has been working with cultural institutions, but even more importantly, the people have sought out and demanded a better cultural life in the country. With the 1700th anniversary of the Armenian church, Armenia is living in a cultural renaissance. We don't have the same problems as the Diaspora in maintaining cultural life because it is coming from the people, but we will not be able to maintain the Diaspora without the church, language, and culture. The rate of assimilation has gotten faster over the years in the Diaspora, and it will become more difficult to preserve what we have been able to in the Diaspora for the past 80 years. This is where the Armenian government has a role to play in working with the Diaspora to maintain its cultural identity.

JS: With the proliferation of political parties and newspapers in Armenia, coupled with difficult daily living conditions, have you noticed a disengagement of people in the civil or political life of the country? Is there a lack of trust among the people of the government and are people withdrawing from politics?

DL: Because of their daily problems, a certain percentage of the population are not getting involved in politics and do not entrust the government to solve their everyday problems. But there is larger percentage of the population who are involved in the political issues of the country, at an even higher level than is normal even in Europe and America. Probably 30-40 percent of the people are very active. All of the issues being faced by the government are being discussed on the corners of every street in Armenia.

This makes the work of the political parties more difficult because those people are making their demands and points of view known to the parties and the government. This makes their job of responding harder than it is in other countries, where real political involvement is lower and people are satisfied by voting for one party or another once a year or once every few years. And developing the system of a democracy is not that easy in just a few years. The elections of a few years ago compared to those five years ago were a great improvement, but another decade is needed to get to where we need to be.

JS: Since you have recently been appointed as a minister responsible for the earthquake region, can you provide an assessment of the work that has been done from 1988 until now, and discuss the proposal you recently submitted to continue the rehabilitation of this region?

DL: There are 50,000 families still without homes in the region and 160 schools need renovations. During the last year alone, homes have been given to more than 4,000 families, which is three times more than the previous year. The government has studied the situation and prepared a plan to know what remains to be done. The government has made the commitment to complete the renovation of the earthquake zone in a few years, and a timetable will be established to finish this work. In this year's budget, $75 million has been allocated for the earthquake zone to rebuild homes and the infrastructure.

Much of work done through the assistance from the Diaspora is not visible because a lot of the work was done in an unorganized manner. Much of it was done through individuals and organizations, so its effectiveness was diluted and not directed to where it was most needed. At this point, I do not expect the Diaspora to provide assistance in the same way they used to. The Diaspora provided a large part of the assistance and it was very important. What I hope for now is that instead of providing assistance for rebuilding, that the Diaspora contribute to specific cultural projects, such as rebuilding a museum or cultural center. We have certain projects where the cost is known and they can be completed through these types of donations. This will be better than just sending money without knowing where it is going in the earthquake zone. I don't want Armenians from the Diaspora to send any kind of assistance. The time for assistance is past, and now we need the Diaspora to love their nation and to invest in the country. This is a better way for people to be connected to Armenia, rather than just in a sentimental way. It is possible to live there and make an economic profit in the country through business and investment, which will connect people to the country in a more meaningful way and allow them to help the country move forward.

JS: The ARS raised a lot of money from the communities for earthquake relief and I am sure there were other organizations that did the same. What did these organizations achieve for all of this effort, and who made the largest impact in this area?

DL: It has been difficult to show that "this has been done with your money" because the money was coming from everywhere, they were doing work in the area, and it was not done so that we know which projects were done by the ARS and all of the other organizations. Another problem was that certain portions of the assistance was being diverted in Armenia or was not used wisely, so it did not receive the intended recipients.

JS: So the relief until now has brought the region up to a certain point, and then it stopped when the momentum of the fundraising was lost? Did the government stop devoting attention to the region?

DL: They did not stop, it was just not being done in an organized manner. This government has committed itself to making it a major focus. By 2003, there will be no more "earthquake zone" in Armenia.

JS: In a recent meeting I attended with an aide of Senator Edward Kennedy, she was told by an Armenian-American that the region still needs assistance and people are still living in temporary housing. She said after all of this time and resources have been allocated, how can it be possible that there is still so much left to be done?

DL: We received a lot of international assistance, a sizeable amount of which came from USAID. The spending of those funds was managed by the US government and monitored by their own representatives, so the accounting for those funds is the responsibility of the US government. As far as the other major donors, they can appoint anyone they want to follow up on the way their money is being spent.

We had 80,000 families that needed new homes, and already 30,000 have been rebuilt. Most of the donations from the Diaspora were allocated to the reconstruction of schools, cultural artifacts, and other buildings. This is why the rebuilding of homes was slower. Although small amounts of the funds were diverted or not used wisely, anyone who wants to make a donation is allowed to monitor the progress and ask where their funds are being used. One example of this is the Lincy Foundation, who have made significant contributions and are managing the way their funds are being allocated.

I would like to thank the people of the United States and the US government for the assistance they have provided to Armenia and the earthquake zone. We would not be where we are today, in a position to resolve this issue once and for all, if it were not for this assistance. This year alone they have provided $30 million through USAID for the reconstruction of homes in the earthquake area, and they have pledged to continue such assistance.

I would like to thank US Ambassador to Armenia Michael Lemmon for his role in ensuring this support, and also the Lincy Foundation, for its ongoing support of various projects over the years.