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What will happen if ...?

Ashot Bleyan's Diary Note for August 3

Following Gianni Rodari I proposed such a title: “What will happen if my day's note publishing is delayed for a few hours?” No technical problem occurred. Here is what happened during those several hours on Sunday. The prices of everyday goods went up abruptly in Ijevan's market, cardiovascular ambulance calls were multiplied, and the Armenian-Azerbaijani tension turned to be controllable. Now it is about 21-22 and thunderstorm with lightning in Yerevan's center are flying into a rage, and we can do nothing but grit our teeth…. One shouldn’t play with fire, so I decided to publish the day’s diary note.

 It is 5a.m. in Ijevan, at Nicole Pashinyan’s Father home. I am restoring the amount of my sleep time. I went to bed at exactly midnight. For the second time I have had a restorative five-hour-sleep.

Shushan Bleyan feels well at Nicole’s place which has hosted a lot of people. Nicole and his wife, Ashot Pashinyan who is a Sebastatsi, Shushan Pashinyan who is also a Sebastatsi, haven’t seen Shushan Bleyan for ages. It’s a good opportunity to question about Vienna. The other Sebastatsi, Mariam Pashinyan who unites all of us, is in Finnish town Kuusamo and is always getting in touch with us on the Skype: she is rejoicing at seeing Davit, two Shushans and Abby, their pet dog, big and kind, that has been their family member for six years. “He is big and kind, he doesn’t bite, I will not beat him, I love him…” says Davit and rides Abby which tolerates everything silently, uncomplainingly and without murmuring.

Nicole’s elder brother Armen, whom Nicole looks like and resembles in voice very much, is the cause for our gathering. He has come from Novorossiysk with his son Davit where he has lived with his family for more than 30 years. They have gathered at their Father home, and I am also here as I have been a participant in the Pashinyans' important events for over 20 years. In 1994 when I had just been appointed Minister of Education of RA, Sergey Harutyunyan, the press secretary of the ministry, introduced me to Nicole, who was then a student at the faculty of philology of Yerevan State University and was already making noticeable steps in journalism.                   

 

And we became inseparable friends in spite of our ages and statuses: like father and sons (in 2015 Nicole will be 40, and I will be 60). I have always watched and followed Nicole, who is living a difficult and impressive life with his wife Anna who was his classmate at University.

During all these 20 years we have always respected each other’s right to act independently and we have always been side by side with each other especially at the most difficult moments, that haven't been few in our lives. Such human loyalty: termless, non-profit, without haggling, without... like Abby, this home pet.... And my godchildren Mariam, Shushan and Ashot  Pashinyans are always in the center of my admiration and attention. Ashot was born in February, 2000 when I was in Nubarashen’s circular prison, and Nicole, editor-in-chief of the newspapers OragirHaykakan Zhamanak , gave him my name which was a form of encouragement. And when I was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, Nicole introduced me to 40-day-old Ashot Pashinyan just in the courtroom of Malatia-Sebastia initial court... it will never be forgotten. This fact gives a sufficient excitement to the relationship between Nicole and me, between Ahot Pashinyan and Ashot Bleyan...              

On the way to the village Berkaber I was told by a policeman that the road was closed because of tense situation on the contact line and if I wanted they could accompany me to the border. They thought that the well-known figure was had hurried to the border on hearing the latest news causing anxiety. My anxiety thickened when Nicole telephoned me. He was also on the way to Berkavan but our family members were waiting for us in Ijevan. Hours later when Nicole joined us with his friends, there were numerous telephone calls, news from Euro news, H1, Liberty, extracts from numerous websites, connections with the heads of borderline villages and also with families of borderline villages. Nicole Pashinyan’s house in Ijevan became a real information analytical center with four note books and a few tablets….

This carried me back to the 1992-1994s. with some proper or improper parallels. … I was a Deputy of the Supreme Council of Armenia and the head of the party New Way , I was telling something to Nicole Pashinyan, the coordinator of the political-civic initiative Alternative, and listening to him. It is important that we discuss our experience and future activities and also work distribution in case of necessity. I represent elder generation, a figure who stood at the start of the movement in 1988, and Nicole represents the generation of my elder daughters, Lilit and Tatev Bleyans. Nicole asked me a question and instead of answering it I turned to Ashot Pashinyan and Shushan Bleyan. My dear friends, there is the third generation without whom we can't and shouldn't solve the entangled knot of Karabagh. It is their life, isn't it? Do we listen to them? Do we make them full participants in the problem of their lives, the deepening conflict with the neighboring Azerbaijani people? We are listening to you, Ashot Pashinyan and Shushan Bleyan, speak, act, suggest new solutions, discuss, publicize the problem: not as an imitation of anxiety of grown-ups that leads to stupid solutions like I am leaving, do not rely on me, or adolescents' curse words and irresponsible behavior.