Armenian President: Preparing for EU membership requires a change in mentality
https://armenpress.am/en/article/1259762
Posted by PjeterPannos
Armenian President: Preparing for EU membership requires a change in mentality
https://armenpress.am/en/article/1259762
Posted by PjeterPannos
6 Comments
I really appreciate that Vahagn Khachaturyan does not shy away from addressing the “European values” being used as a wedge issue in Armenia.
Yes, LGBT+ people exist in Europe, and we also exist throughout Armenia, from Yerevan to the smallest villages. We are not your enemies.
The older generation, and the kyarto like people are too stubborn, I’m not sure how much they will change. Younger ones already seem to have EU values.
i respect this man.
Pashinyan’s government is incredibly cautious when it comes to this topic. but we do see some developments in this field. the foreign ministry recently articulated LGBTQ+ rights in a release made about a meeting with EU officials.
so, baby steps. the comprehensive anti-discrimination law which would include sexuality-based discrimination has still not been adopted, even though they have been talking about it since at least 2023.
The Armenian Apostolic Church must remain firm. Such an ancient and beautiful faith with doctrinal and moral clarity.
The better question is, how did the 1988 generation, which led mass democratic protests and successfully toppled the authoritarian USSR, almost overnight turn into a generation lacking democratic knowledge, infantilized and suffering from “Soviet-mentality”?
While I agree with the sentiment that we need to accept everyone, let’s also not pretend Armenia is uniquely homophobic by European standards.
There are close to 10 EU countries that still have pretty poor LGBT protections and very conservative attitudes on this issue, including Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Italy, Latvia and Cyprus.
Edit: Also many EU candidate countries have serious problems with homophobia, including Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Albania.