Naira Melkumyan: When the voice of society is muffled, it becomes aggressive

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Tolerance in the Armenian reality is mostly associated with obedience, but tolerance has deeper philosophical roots. A tolerant political discussion is relevant only when the discussion outlines positive steps to follow. But instead we hear swearing and insulting each time," Armenian ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan told participants of the discussion organized today by the Civilitas foundation and devoted to the culture of political dialog.



She touched upon a good example related to the recent events around Armenia's National Assembly deputy Zaruhi Postanjyan.



The discussion was also attended by a representative of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Artsvik Minasyan, director of the Civilitas Foundation Salbi Ghazarian and ex-minister of foreign affairs of Nagorno Karabakh Naira Melkumyan.



Artsvik Minasyan emphasized, that the lack of a tolerant political debate is rooted in Armenian society unprepared to that political debate. The society should be prepared to this through outreach and educational programs.



He also noted that there the media plays a very important role, they pay more attention to negative aspects of the same phenomenon.



According to ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno Karabakh Naira Melkumyan, the political debate in Armenia can be heard only during elections, the rest of time bad language prevails. "The society needs to speak, because its voice is muffled, it becomes aggressive," Naira Melkumyan said.