Recently I have participated in the Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum that brought together representatives of the civil society of the Eastern Partnership contries. The debated topics related mostly to the European values.
The mother of journalist Pavel Sheremet famous in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, Lyudmila Sheremet who was among the prominent guests in this platform after the death of her son mentioned in her conversation with us that stereotypes in respect of the European values are disseminated not only in Armenia or Georgia. “In Belarus where I live the younger generation that frequently visits foreign countries is the carrier of the European values, whereas people of my age that do not go anywhere, have different values,” Mrs Sheremet says. According to her, the degree to which the European values pose a danger, depends on the level of education of an average statistical person, to what extent s/he possesses information and whether s/he can analyse this information.
While conversing with this esteemed lady, I remembered the protest act of the initiative “Will” in front of the NA building in Yerevan against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, an initiative that manipulates the idea of “the European values,” resorting to diverse political manipulations. Vahagn Chakhalyan, the leader of the initiative was shouting: “We do not have anything to learn from them (Europe). We have lived with our values, our family structure, we are not going to be as profane and godless as them, as undignified and unprinciped as them.”
What is Europe’s legacy after all? First, some reference information to be found while doing google search with several keywords: “Europe is anchored in freedom and democratic values. These European values were formed at the time of the Enlightement and were politically reflected in the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789. At present, they are formulated in the European Charter of Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights… The values, on which the European Union is based, are respect and human dignity, democracy, equality, rule of law and protection of human rights, including the rights of minorities. These values are universal for all EU member states in which societies enjoy pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality of men and women.” These values, however, are not accepted by all, as those who do not accept them have a fear of destruction of families.
Are assumptions on what is family very different for an average statistical Armenian and European?
Melanya Barseghyan from “Aravot” daily was lately in Sweden in the framework of a journalistic project where she had an opportunity to famliarise herself with the life and culture of that country: “Naturally, you cannot see and understand everything within three weeks. However, one thing is clear: during these days I only came across exemplary relations between parents and children and between spouses. I did not notice any sign of perversion or profanity. I would like to give a simple example that is extremely telling. In the city of Kalmar there were no curtains on windows. You walk in the street and you can clearly see what is happening inside the houses: in one house a family is gathered around a dinnertable, in another a mother or a father is sitting with a child with a book or a copybook, in another a family is watching TV… We were told that the Swedish are not in the habbit of shutting themselves from the outside world believing that they have nothing to hide.”
The locals told the journalists that in the Scandinavian countries parents are obsessed with the education of their children, having fun with them and enjoying their childhood. However, from a very early age they teach children how to be independent in order for them to better find their place in life and not “stick to the mother’s skirt.” Also, they teach children to value the gifts of nature, save water, electricity, the money earned by parents, to abide by law and not to forget about charity. “One evening there was no room in the Mother Church of Kalmar: parents came to church holding the hands of their children and were placing candles made by them in the courtyard of the church, the children were participanting in the donation ceremony taking place inside the church for, if I am not mistaken, for African children,” Melanya Barseghyan told us.
What was Gevorg Petrossyan saying on this occasion: “We all have traditional families and will bequeath a taditional family to generations no matter no matter who comes to instruct us from Venice or the Moon.” Lyudmila Sheremet does not conceal that they have gevorgpetrossyans in Belarus but “it is utter brainwashing to say that they will come and destroy our families with their European values. We live in the 21th century and our families can be destroyed by the authorities with their clumsy governance and the wars with their tanks and “Grads.”
Hasmik Budaghyan,
CPFE Expert
