In this installment in our series focusing on foreign ambassadors serving in Armenia, we talked with Hans-Jochen Schmidt, appointed Ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany to Armenia in October, 2009. Prior to his Yerevan posting, Mr. Schmidt headed the OSCE Minsk Office. During his long and distinguished career in the German diplomatic corps, he has served in Cairo, St. Petersburg and Kiev.

“I had a happy childhood growing up in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). I was lucky to have some wonderful teachers and it was during my school days that I first picked up a Russian textbook. Strange as it may sound, I was also fortunate to decide at the tender age of nine, along with my mother, to leave the GDR for West Germany for political reasons and in view of the need to receive an excellent education in the western part of Germany - 'less politicized',” stated Ambassador Schmidt as we started our conversation about his life and work.

Flees East Germany at a tender age

“My reason was to get a good education. Back in 1959, the correctness of my decision was born out. East Germany was heading for a fall and the writing was on the wall. The Berlin Wall, dividing east from west, went up in 1961. I realized that my mother and I were part of that tiny elite stratum that fled the city. If the political system cannot guarantee a normal functioning economy in which people can see prospects for long-term personal development, then they leave for greener pastures. It’s called the brain drain,’ continued the Ambassador, was born in 1947, two years before the GDR was established, in the German town of Bad Koesen. The entire country was still reeling from the devastation of WW II. Bad Koesen is not far from the cities of Leipzig and Weimar, near the Czech border. Ambassador Schmidt says that Leipzig is renowned as a commercial center, with famous shops and an excellent orchestra, a thriving art-scene etc., the book fair, the industrial fairs, and Weimar embodies the literary incarnation of Schiller and Goethe. He is quick to point out that Weimar is where the Nazis built the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1937. Bad Koesen, with a population of around 6,000, is a town with a comparatively rich historical and cultural legacy (with the well-known monastery Schulpforte). “I was an only child and was raised by three women -my grandmother, my mother and a nurse. A free and open spirit reigned in the household. Once a month, I took part in discussion groups organized by my mother. She would invite lawyers, doctors and business owners,” recounts the ambassador.

Ambassador a fervent supporter of Protocols

“Back in the 1990’s, I started to become interested in the South Caucasus and began working on projects designed to improve the efficiency of energy resources. I believed then, and still do, that regional cooperation projects in the field can resolve ‘frozen conflicts’ in the region or at least reduce tensions. Politically, I have taken on the challenge of following the Turkish-Armenian normalization process and to assist in whatever small way that we can so that, in the end, the Protocols are ratified. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to be in Berlin when the Wall came down." Ambassador Schmidt points out that he’s not engaged in any other political or commercial affairs here in Armenia and that, as a diplomat, he’s supposed to pursue a well-balanced policy, i.e. not to defend politically biased values. “If you have set out certain goals you would like to achieve, it is vital to persuade your “opposite partners” and to make things happen. You must clarify your goals to them and they should have no doubts or suspicions about your goals,” said the ambassador, noting some of the principles he abides by in his pursuits.

Ambassador has a fondness for historical Gyumri

Ambassador Schmidt confesses that while in Armenia he travels regularly to Gyumri since he has many friends and acquaintances in the country’s second largest city. He also takes pleasure in visiting various cultural and architectural sites - Noravank, Goshavank, Haghpat. “You grieve over the prospect that this unspoiled nature can become the targets of man’s aggression,” Ambassador Schmidt says. Mr. Schmidt also enjoys going to various concerts, whether the music is classical opera or jazz. He has a fondness for Khachatryan. His culinary tastes range from traditional Armenian “khorovatz” to fish and he says that he sat down to a wonderful meal of “Ishkhan” at the Tufenkian Hotel. Ambassador Schmidt’s eldest son works in the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the organization has a branch in Armenia. His son is now stationed in India, working on improving the public health sector. The ambassador’s youngest son is an agriculture specialist and says he often changes his area of expertise and that his son is now focusing on child health issues. Ambassador Schmidt’s wife works in Germany as well.

Urges Armenians respect the natural environment as a treasured resource

Ambassador Schmidt says that Armenian and his native Germany are quite differently structured countries. Armenia is a country undergoing a lot of changes - as Germany after the fall of the Wall. The outgoing situation or the starting point for new developments is yet quite different. “Armenia is a small country and it’s easy to understand. What strikes me is that Armenia still remains isolated from the outside world in many ways. What I find lacking here, as opposed to my former posting in Minsk, is that I’m cut off from watching new films. This amazes me, because there are many in Armenia who really are interested in films,” he says. As to why he compares the situation in Armenia with Minsk, the ambassador says that even while Minsk is regarded as far removed from the West, it indeed offers a rich cultural life to those interested. “What I can say about Armenia is that in such a small country one can see very many cultural and religious monuments like Noravank, Goshavank and Haghpat. It’s necessary to utilize such resources in a more advantageous way and I hope that the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border will have a benign impact on mobility, enable Armenia to open up further to the outside world and get more connected with the flow of information (promotion of internet),” says the ambassador.

Gyumri should utilize potential of border opening

“What I find perplexing is why a city like Gyumri, known for its art and many artists, hasn’t developed the way it should. I hope that the Gyumri authorities will use the border opening to rally their resources towards improving the country, improve the business climate and counter the criticism hat this city has become a haven for corruption.” “One of the advantages in Armenia are the short distances to connect easily with the various branches of government and with civil organizations. The government should undertake more efforts to raise the awareness for the need to protect the environment. Short-term economic development versus protection of the environment - up to now there has not yet been found a sound balance between these two “vectors”. This is especially true in the mining sector. A balance must be found between making a profit and not harming the environment. Let me cite the example of Lake Sevan. The lake was exploited for many years and now steps are being taken to reverse the damage done. Fish stocks have almost all been depleted. Armenia is a beautiful country and it’s a pity that industrial enterprises must corrupt such beauty,” says Ambassador Schmidt.

Ambassador laments destruction of “old” Yerevan

Another area of concern for the ambassador is the need to preserve the historical core of Yerevan. “I’m shocked when I see how historic and old buildings are being torn down to make way for monotone high rise structures. The city center suffers as a result and visitors are left with an unpleasant impression when they see such unorganized construction. The notion is conveyed that there is no rational or logic behind such urban planning. One suspects that it’s all profit-driven and there no regard as to consequences. It’s tragic that the landscape is littered with many ruins that are not included in any cultural preservation program. You now have the Cafesjian Museum and it clear to see how poorly exhibition space is being used there,” Ambassador Schmidt said. The ambassador also doesn’t like the way people drive here in Armenia and how pedestrians also flout all the rules.

Dreams of being able to visit Karabakh

“I’ve reported such infractions to the police on many occasions, but they just don’t seem to care. If you tell the driver of a jeep not to cross the pedestrian zone, rather than heeding your advice, he’ll probably get out and punch you in the nose. Also, I note how the police shy away from fining drivers of expensive jeeps and direct their actions against drivers of more modest cars. If the police do pull a jeep over, it’s more likely to receive a bribe than to write out a ticket,” he says. Ambassador Schmidt says that one of his goals is to establish a forum for young people interested in German-Armenian relations; a place to meet and organize talks and other activities. He also dreams of making the trip from Gyumri to Kars with his friends in an old bus. “My next goal or dream is that the border between Turkey and Armenia is opened.  Finally, I want to see the Karabakh conflict settled in such a manner that we diplomats can finally visit there. Right now, we aren’t permitted to do so. These are jumbled aspirations, partly personal and partly professional. As an individual, I sincerely hope that in my professional capacity I can make a small contribution towards solving these problems.”