<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">Forwarded From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Fierman, William</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wfierman@indiana.edu">wfierman@indiana.edu</a>></span><br><br><br><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Published on <i><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Institute for War and Peace Reporting</span></i> (<a href="http://iwpr.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color:black">http://iwpr.net</span></a>)</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<h2 style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">"Russian Lesson" Provokes Fury in Armenia</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></h2>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Outspoken Moscow media official suggests Armenia should adopt Russian as an official language.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">By <a href="http://iwpr.net/people/arpiharutyunyan" target="_blank"><span style="color:black">Arpi Harutyunyan</span></a> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">[1]</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> -</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">30 Jun 14</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Opposition politicians in Armenia have attacked the government for hosting a top media figure from Moscow who made insensitive remarks about the poor knowledge
of Russian in the country.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Comments by Dmitry Kiselyov, head of the Russia Today news agency and deputy head of the Russian state broadcaster have reinforced fears that Armenia is
well on its way to being swallowed up by its longstanding ally.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">On a visit to Yerevan, Kiselyov told a meeting of the Russian-Armenian Parliamentary Club on June 11 that he was shocked at how poorly local taxi drivers
spoke Russian.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Highlighting Moscow’s role as Armenia’s key strategic ally, Kiselyov went on to complain that “there are almost no Russian [language medium] schools in
Yerevan, and Russian is dying out in Armenia. It follows that Russian culture is also dying, and the link with Russia will gradually weaken. This is a very dangerous trend.”</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">He suggested that the best way to preserve Russian would be to formalise it as a second state language on a par with Armenian.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Kiselyov’s comments provoked outrage from the opposition. Nikol Pashinyan of the Armenian National Congress demanded an official rebuff.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“Such disrespectful comments from foreigners must meet with the strongest condemnation from state and society,” Pashinyan told parliament. “I think the
foreign minister should consider declaring Dmitry Kiselyov persona non grata in Armenia.”</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">The inter-parliamentary meeting was attended by deputy speaker Hermine Naghdalyan and three politicians from the ruling Republican Party.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Opponents of the government said it had set itself up for humiliation by giving such a high-level welcome to a man who has become notorious for his abrasive
on-screen style.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“If you give a platform to some lying analyst, then you end up with an ill-educated lout who decides to try to teach us a lesson,” said Naira Zohrabyan
of the opposition party Prosperous Armenia.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">There was further anger that the meeting was conducted exclusively in Russian, despite a legal requirement for all official proceedings to be translated
into Armenian. The speaker of parliament, Galust Sahakyan, promised to provide simultaneous translation during forthcoming events.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Deputy speaker Naghdalyan said she understood why people were angry, but denied the government had been humiliated.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“The Armenian-Russian friendship club will function in Russia as well, and Armenian parliamentarians will be able to express their opinions there,” she
said.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Another deputy speaker, Eduard Sharmazanov, who is a leading figure in the Republican Party, attempted to play down the furore, saying, “Kiselyov isn’t
such a significant individual that we should be talking about him for days on end.”</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Education minister Armen Ashotyan released a statement insisting that “the Russian language has no constitutional status in Armenia, and we see no need
for this since Armenia is a monoethnic country”.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">The controversy reflects broader unease at Armenia’s increasingly close ties with Russia at a time when the latter is increasingly asserting its might,
for example in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">With unfriendly neighbours – Turkey and Azerbaijan – on either flank, Armenia has retained close security links with Russia since the break-up of the Soviet
Union. Moscow has a military airfield in Yerevan and an army base in Gyumri, and the two countries agreed in 2010 to extend the Russian presence until 2044.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Since last September, Armenia has been on a course to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakstan Customs Union, a move some see as an erosion of national sovereignty.
(See<b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenia-faces-delay-joining-moscow-led-union" target="_blank"><span style="color:black">Armenia Faces Delay to Joining Moscow-Led Union</span></a> </span></b></span><b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">[2]</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> on
recent developments in the process.)</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">In recent months, Yerevan has handed Russia’s Gazprom <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/russian-energy-giant-captures-armenian-market" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">control
of its domestic gas pipeline network</span></b></a> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">[3]</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> and a monopoly on purchases and sales, and it is
considering<a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/russians-take-over-major-armenian-chemicals-plant" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">selling a major chemical plant</span></b></a> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">[4]</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> to
another firm, Rosneft. </span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Finally, Moscow is now offering fast-track citizenship to Armenians and other post-Soviet nationals if they are fluent in Russian and are prepared to renounce
their own countries’ passports. (See <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenians-enticed-russian-passport-offer" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Armenians Enticed by Russian Passport Offer</span></b></a> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">[5]</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> on
the implications.) </span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">With all these moves in train, Kiselyov’s abrasive style caused further alarm.</span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“Is Armenia a Russian province or is it a sovereign state, for the status of Russian to be enhanced?” prominent theatre producer Levon Mutafyan asked. “Everything
starts from the policy of our government which accepts its status as a Russian vassal.” </span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Arpi Harutyunyan is a reporter for Armnews television in Armenia.</span></b><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Source URL:</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/russian-lesson-provokes-fury-armenia" target="_blank"><span style="color:black">http://iwpr.net/report-news/russian-lesson-provokes-fury-armenia</span></a></span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Links:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><br>
[1] <a href="http://iwpr.net/people/arpiharutyunyan" target="_blank">http://iwpr.net/people/arpiharutyunyan</a><br>
[2] <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenia-faces-delay-joining-moscow-led-union" target="_blank">
http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenia-faces-delay-joining-moscow-led-union</a><br>
[3] <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/russian-energy-giant-captures-armenian-market" target="_blank">
http://iwpr.net/report-news/russian-energy-giant-captures-armenian-market</a><br>
[4] <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/russians-take-over-major-armenian-chemicals-plant" target="_blank">
http://iwpr.net/report-news/russians-take-over-major-armenian-chemicals-plant</a><br>
[5] <a href="http://iwpr.net/report-news/armenians-enticed-russian-passport-offer" target="_blank">
Armenians Enticed by Russian Passport Offer - Institute for War and Peace Reporting - P212</a></span><span style="color:#212121"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>
University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br>
<a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------
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