To overcome risks Armenia must reduce domestic escalation - expert 

ArmInfo. To overcome the extremely serious risks facing the country, Armenia must first reduce the level  of internal escalation. Political scientist and co-founder of the  "Alternative Projects" group Vahe Hovhannisyan wrote this on his  Facebook page, touching on the processes unfolding in the country.

In his opinion, there is no political life in the country today. "We  shouldn't pretend we have a fully-fledged political process or a  political institution, such as the National Assembly, where this  process should take place. When an entire parliamentary faction is  effectively banned in full view of the world, when the leader of the  Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Gagik Tsarukyan, who campaigned on  the slogan of internal harmony, is arrested, when prisons are filled  with political prisoners-what kind of political process can we talk  about?" Hovhannisyan asked, rather rhetorically.

He emphasized that today, Armenia resembles a "prison," while the  country faces extremely serious risks.  The expert noted that there  is no post-election calm in the country; society is split at least in  two and is in a state of extreme polarization. "In Armenia, there's  no sense that everyone is in the same boat, and there's no shared  understanding of the impending threats. Instead, there's profound,  universal uncertainty, regardless of voters' political preferences.  The country lacks a rational understanding or even awareness of the  need for unity, nor does it understand the need to confront the  gravest challenges-both those within our control and those beyond our  control-that we all face in the near future," the political scientist  believes.

Therefore, as the expert noted, Armenia is at a universal impasse:  domestically, economically, in relations with neighbors, with the  West, and with Russia-and there's an urgent need to extricate the  country from this impasse. Speaking about how to do this,  Hovhannisyan noted that, first, it's necessary to reduce the level of  internal escalation. "Open the prison doors and return everyone who  was unlawfully imprisoned to normal life. Stop the repression. Next,  we must cease all actions that contradict and disrupt the normal  course of life. For example, restore the unimpeded operation of  Tsarukyan-owned businesses, allowing ordinary people to return to  normal life. At the same time, stop spreading hatred, mutual insults,  and threats. This must become a new social norm that will affect all  parties," Hovhannisyan explained.

According to him, it is also necessary to establish dialogue between  the electoral masses. Furthermore, the political scientist continued,  social and political elites must address the public with responsible  and balanced messages, understanding the country's interests and its  real situation. "We must be ready for peace in the Caucasus. To do  this, we must act wisely and rationally. Failure to be prepared for  peace poses a huge risk. Furthermore, we must initiate a civilized  discussion within the country on key issues. This will not be easy in  the current circumstances, but it is precisely this path that leads  to overcoming threats and the internal healing of society.  International experience shows that such processes usually begin with  the mediation of a third party," the political scientist noted.

Finally, the expert emphasized, it is necessary to do everything  possible to ensure that after the next elections, regardless of when  they take place, political forces congratulate each other on their  results. "This must become a national goal. Such an approach will be  an important step toward improving society. But the first step must  be taken today: stop arrests, open prison doors, so that all those  unlawfully deprived of their liberty can return to normal life,"  Hovhannisyan concluded.