In the autumn of 2018, with great interest, in one gulp, without being distracted to do other things, I read the discussion paper “At the Crossroads” you have worked on. Usually, it is not typical of me to read likewise, and I was amazed. However, I could not immediately find the answer to the question of what exactly was so attractive in this book. After all, this is not fiction and not a light sci-fi publication.
It seems to me that it’s the pain imperceptibly seeping through the pages of the book that dragged me in. The more the authors posed questions, the more noticeable this pain became, and even confusion, maybe also the disbelief in the “bright future.” Even when relatively simple development recipes and powerful ideas for the new (“old”?) positioning of Armenia in the world economy or for the development of the country's own economic potential were found, there was a feeling of some kind of feigned optimism. Somehow it doesn’t go with the Wisdom and Knowledge that filled the first two chapters of the paper.
After having flipped through the paper again during these May holidays, another perspective appeared before my eyes. For many people who have not studied in Armenia, the paper is of particular value because it contains a variety of historical, factual and prognostic material, presented in a highly concentrated form. For those seriously concerned about the future of Armenia, the paper is a very convenient platform for discussion, since it has already absorbed the necessary number of alternatives, hypotheses, cause-effect relationships, motivations of driving forces and characteristics of the subject.
Some of its sections are not homogeneous. For instance, having unfolded in detail the motives of actions of the elite representatives (including the means of transferring the assets) in relation to other social strata, and especially the ordinary residents of Armenia, the paper has more questions raised than answers. There is a lack of another “author from the inside and from the bottom” of the country. However, in case of proper management, the last two chapters of the paper can be complemented with each subsequent reissue.
You have already done and continue to do a very important job. Thank you. May God help you!
