The Endless Manipulation of the Word 'National' Does Not Mean Being National: Edmon Marukyan's Statement

Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the "Enlightened Armenia" faction in the National Assembly, wrote on his Facebook page:

“Is it strange to search for a separate national force in an area populated by 97% Armenians? What does it mean to be national? If we don't say it correctly, are we then not national? When we say, 'let's combat corruption or investigate the failures of the war,' isn't that national? We have long transformed the national into the state, and today the national is the state. The national is the Republic. Any step aimed at strengthening the Republic and establishing Armenian statehood is national.

If you prioritize the national (ethnic) above the state, then ultimately, you lose statehood and continue to engage in nation-preserving and Armenian-preserving activities, but already in the territories of other states.

The endless manipulation of the word 'national' does not mean being national, but protecting Armenia's interests is, in itself, national, and this is a clear and even simplistic truth. In essence, those who claim to be national are attempting to manipulate, as if they themselves are national, while others are anti-national. This is, of course, just demagoguery and a manifestation of populism.

All ideologies and forces operating in Armenia and for Armenia are already national, and this cannot be monopolized by just one.As citizens of an independent state, we must clearly establish that the time has come to mature and become a nation with a state and to build a state, as this is the guarantee of the continuous existence of Armenian statehood.”