Armenia's biggest asset

In Germany, the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, left a package for her successor: a 1,100-page-long paper to the German domestic intelligence services claiming that the AfD party is right-wing extremist. Based on that, I would like to base what Armenia's most significant asset is.

Mrs Faeser did not claim that all members of the AfD are Nazis. To understand what right-wing extremism means, we have to go deeper. In Germany, the idea is that everyone is equal, independent of culture, religion, or skin color. Citizens with a German citizenship cannot be prioritized over residents of other countries. What sounds great (after all, I am not an Armenian citizen, but I live in Armenia and theoretically, such a logic also applies to people like me) has its flaws.

I never felt discriminated against in Armenia; however, Armenia always lifted me. One reason is that I identify with most of the Armenian values. Yes, once in a while, I also criticize — I hope constructively — some aspects of the Armenian culture. However, I only criticize those aspects that prevent the country from becoming greater than it is today. I received much positive feedback from Armenians, encouraging me to continue advertising Armenia.

A migrant who praises Germany or Austria — the situation in Austria is similar to Germany, and as an Austrian, I want to bring up the Austrian view — would receive similar appraisal from traditionalist thinking Austrians and Germans. What makes my friends back in Austria (which also includes people who migrated to Austria and adopted the Austrian culture) angry is the inactivity against those migrants who openly oppose Western culture. A person coming to a country and valuing the local culture is no longer a foreigner; they become part of the culture, regardless of their culture of origin, religion, or skin color. But if foreigners enter a country for benefits only and even harm the culture, the local culture shall have the right to defend itself. Many citizens in European countries believe that their governments gave up on this mission.

For many individuals in German-speaking nations, the idea of an identity through culture can be suspiciously right-wing and extreme. If someone praises the German virtues, such as order, cleanliness, and duty, some people might already use the n-word. At an Armenian gathering, some might criticize other Armenian individuals or groups, but hardly any Armenian would ever play down the value of an Armenian identity itself. The harshest thing that I heard an Armenian say about Armenians in general is that, jokingly, sometimes they wanted to have smaller noses. Compare that to Austrian and German "intellectuals" who keep calling believers in a culture idiots.

Some AfD politicians claim that Germany experiences a loss of identity and that this loss of identity is a loss of meaning in life. I can speak for many internationals, but if we come from a country with a lost identity, seeing an identity flourishing in a country like Armenia is addictive. Many internationals without Armenian heritage praise Armenia and work hard to advance this country as if they had been born in Armenia to Armenian parents. And this fever for Armenia is often also reflected by Armenians living outside of Armenia. One Armenian living in Germany once told me that there is not a single day that an Armenian expat is not homesick.

Armenia's identity can be the most significant asset for Armenia. Yes, things can get troublesome with too much overconfidence, but what is the alternative? The new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, needed two election runs to become chancellor. Something that would have been unimaginable in Germany 30 to 40 years ago, where German virtues, such as duty and order, were still strong. Germany's success as an industrial nation is primarily based on its virtues. If they lose them, they also lose their economic power. Armenia's rise, on the other hand, has just begun. Some Armenians, especially those who are critical of the current Armenian government, may not see it yet. But this country is on the rise. Armenians are the only ones who can prevent Armenia from becoming great again. But when all Armenians are united, nothing can stop this country from becoming a hub of creativity, innovation, and prosperity. And the base for all this greatness will be Armenian identity.