InternationalA time for more public diplomacy
Published: Thursday July 16, 2009
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On November 20, 2008, Armenia's President Serge Sargsian convened an unprecedented closed-door, off-the-record consultation with representatives of all the political parties registered in Armenia. The president informed participants about the state of negotiations toward a framework agreement on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, and heard what they had to say.
Although as a media organization we naturally favor open-door, transparent meetings, we believe the consultation was an excellent and timely initiative. Indeed, the November 20 consultation can serve as a model for further sorely needed communication between the Armenian administration and the Armenian polity.
At this momentous stage of the Karabakh peace process, all Armenians would benefit from another round of public diplomacy that begins with President Sargsian's assessment of the Moscow talks this weekend.
In addition to the peace process, we are witnessing rapid developments in other matters of critical importance to the Armenian people, including international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and efforts to normalize Armenia-Turkey relations.
As President Sargsian noted quite recently, Armenia's adversaries seek to manipulate public perception of these developments in ways that are not favorable to Armenia. Thus, on April 11, responding to a question about Armenia-Turkey talks posed by the Armenian Reporter, Mr. Sargsian could say with confidence that Armenia would "come out of the process much stronger." Why? Because even if Armenia had "miscalculated," Mr. Sargsian said, and Turkey reneged on the commitments it had made going into the talks, Armenia could demonstrate to the international community that it had been "really prepared to establish relations without preconditions."
Now the president is rightly concerned that Turkey and Azerbaijan are "misleading the international community" with their version of events – according to which it is Armenia that has allegedly changed the goalposts in "soccer diplomacy."
What can the Armenian administration do? It can speak out.
As a media outlet with a deep commitment to disseminating Armenia's voice, we want to hear more from the administration. When there's a development, we look to the Office of the President, to the Foreign Ministry, and to Armenian embassies for an informative and authoritative statement that is not only responsive to the development but also reiterates Armenia's values and goals.
Thus, we would like to see the president and the foreign minister grant interviews to Armenian media outlets – as the president sometimes does to the Wall Street Journal, to excellent effect – and to author articles and video clips that air their perspectives.
Ideally, a glance at the Foreign Ministry website would persuade a non-hostile visitor of the wisdom of Armenia's chosen path, and how it combines enlightened self-interest with a commitment to regional peace and prosperity as well as genocide prevention.
Beyond such direct communications, there are, of course, many other opportunities to shape public opinion. Consultations with national opinion leaders – such as the one held on November 20, but also with civil society representatives and the media – will go a long way to better inform and help shape public perceptions in Armenia.
The best response to the efforts of Turkey and its friends to mislead public opinion is to make an intensive and ongoing effort to speak out and be heard. We look forward to it.
