In the end, it has turned out that the Kapan-Meghri strategic highway is going to bypass the Shikahogh State Preserve, or Mtnadzor, the only virgin forest left in Armenia . Although government officials did everything they could to diminish the role of society, non-governmental organizations, in particular those that deal with nature protection, waged a persistent, unyielding battle to protect the forest, and this time they won.

Now what concerns officials is not so much the profit they stand to gain from the road (different officials would make millions on the sale of those trees), but the fact, or rather the precedent, of this victory by a public movement. Now the NGOs are sure that they can stop the “strategic” cynicism of the authorities if they are united and persistent in the fight.

This victory happened for a couple of reasons. First of all, the government sought to destroy a preserve that had a unique significance, and because of that, the struggle for Mtnadzor brought together organizations and newspapers who might be more willing to compromise in other cases. Secondly, it was too obvious that the authorities were pushing for their option in the expectation of personal profit. Moreover, because it was so obvious, they were not able to demonstrate the uniqueness of their plan. Third, we have to respect the Syunik Province officials who were with the movement till the end. This cooperation between NGOs and local self-government bodies was also unprecedented. And fourth, the movement was joined by well-known Armenian benefactors from the Diaspora, and although their word may not be law for the Armenian government, it does make them stop to think.

This was perhaps the most significant factor, and it gives us new hope today regarding the context and quality of Armenia-Diaspora relations. If in the past, the relationship was mainly a matter of providing financial support, implementing development projects through the government while at the same time closing their eyes to all the injustice, then after Mtnadzor, everything changed slightly, and a new level of cooperation arose, one in which the Diaspora, it seems, no longer intends to maintain their status as silent benefactors.

Hrair Hovnanian, Caroline Mugar, the Tufenkians…These people have been with us since the very first days of independence and have never been mere sentimental benefactors who did good for their own pleasure or well-being. Instead they have participated in finding solutions to the problems that are of real strategic significance for Armenia . Without going into detail, it’s enough to, it’s enough to mention the seven-figure sums they’ve donated to building The Hyusis-Harav (North-South) Highway, or the Goris-Stepanakert Highway connecting Armenia with Karabakh.

It was when I heard that Hrair Hovnanian had joined the environmental activists and had written a letter to the president that I first began to suspect that the problem might be resolved in favor of the environmentalists, in other words, in favor of the people. Then when I found out that Caroline Mugar had arrived in Armenia for the sake of this cause, my hope became a conviction. Although people around me didn’t believe it, I was sure that the road was going to bypass the preserve, because I knew that our government, though unwilling to enter into dialogue with society, nevertheless respects, or fears, powerful people.

I am sure that the cooperation between Armenian NGOs and experienced, respected Diaspora Armenians will not end here, because it is time to put a stop to the government’s hostility toward society, their placing of the interest of the state over that of society, thereby infringing the rights of the possessors of that state, the people.

Mtnadzor is unique as a virgin forest but it is not unique as an event in which a group of officials turns public property and national treasures into objects of sale. It happened in Haghtanak Park when they cut down all the trees to build a hotel; it happened in the park near the Opera House when they poured concreted on the green areas and turned them into cafes; it happened with Northern Avenue, when along with people’s huts and cottages they destroyed buildings that were historical and architectural treasures. Now it’s about to happen to Komitas Park and the Pantheon, which they want to move, in order to use the land for public and private construction

In every one of these cases, ordinary citizens and non-governmental organizations were alone in the struggle against the authorities, and they were defeated. Their defeat, however, was not a disgrace for them, but for the government who paid a disgraceful $14,000 to the owners of the houses they demolished in the center of Yerevan , a sum too small to buy an apartment on the outskirts of town.

I am sure that the experienced, respected Diasporans see and understand all this, and, having lived all their lives in democratic countries, they know that oppressing society and silencing public opinion never works in the long run. They know that the state, so long dreamed of, is stable and safe when negative processes are noticed right away, talked about, and put an end to.

These Diasporans have demonstrated their patriotism though their actions, and in doing so, their love for their homeland has grown stronger.