‘Young people teach us a good lesson’ – Anahit Bakhshyan

In an interview with Tert.am, Anahit Bakhshyan, a member of the Barev Yerevan alliance at the Yerevan Municipality, commented in the protests against rising electricity prices held by the ‘No to plunder’ civil initiative.

“Our young people are teaching us a good lesson with their slogan ‘We are masters of our country’,” she said.

“This slogan, especially by the architects of our 25-year-old state, has made us realize we are masters of our country and you cannot make any decisions behind us, which pose a threat to our independence, security and so on. This movement has brought the authorities and people to Freedom Square and, later, to Baghramyan Avenue,” Ms Bakhshyan.

According to her, at one moment the authorities were able to apply the “divide and rule” principle to the movement. However, it did not last long.

Although Baghramyan Avenue is not full of crowds now, the people are not forgetting the slogan. And both the authorities and oligarchs have become aware of it because everyone sees their own interests in the movement, which is only natural.

“The universal protest made our young people go out into the square. It will not fade away. Although the young people continue insisting on their demands, some of them see a different way – one of system reforms. Others say they must stay in Baghramyan Avenue,” Ms Bakhshyan said.

Both are necessary and important and they must inspire young people for their movement to be of benefit to the state.

“And we can see it even now - civil society has shown teeth,” Ms Bakhshyan said.

As to signs of disappointment in civil society ranks, she said:

“No, I do not. I do not mean disappointment. Rather, I did not want any split. I am a person who said that they must go to Freedom Square. I think going to Freedom Square would have been a better step, but a great part of the people insisted on staying [in Baghramyan Avenue]. They will finally draft an agenda and submit it to the government.”

She has read a “so-called political scientific analysis” which claims that the Free Democrats and Heritage parties are behind the protests in Baghramyan Avenue only because the parties’ members were present there.

“It is not so, but it does not mean the movement will not be politicized. I am sure it will, and the authorities are well aware of that. So they have to prevent it. If the authorities do not want the movement to be politicized, they should make sensible decisions,” Ms Bakhshyan said.