Hundreds Mourn Armenia’s Markarian
Avan, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007
RFE/RL reports that hundreds of Armenians flocked to the apartment of the late Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian, to pay their last respects. Actually, I was there as well as I’m putting together a photo story for EurasiaNet.
Security forces had trouble controlling a crowd that filled the courtyard outside Markarian’s second-floor apartment in the city’s northern Avan district. His body lay in state there in a private ceremony which was supposed to be attended by his relatives, friends and colleagues.
The incessant stream of people turned it into a public event, even though not everyone was able to enter the apartment and offer their condolences to the family of the deceased. Many silently stood in the courtyard for several hours.
However, I have to be honest that although it’s true that people waited patiently when Ruzanna was there and watching from the balcony above the entrance, it wasn’t like that after she left. Then, many of the crowd started pushing and loudly complaining that they had been waiting for hours and the queue to get in had hardly moved due to the number of officials and others that were constantly entering.
Among the visitors were Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, other senior government officials and senior members of Markarian’s Republican Party, and the leaders of virtually all other major Armenian parties, including those opposed to the government. President Robert Kocharian was expected to visit Markarian’s home later in the day.
To be fair, and thanks to Zarchka at Life Around Me for pointing this out to me earlier on the phone, the wake was meant to be for officials, friends and relatives. At one point, the police told the crowd that Markarian was everybody’s Prime Minister and so they should show more respect and wait patiently. However, on quite a few occasions the scene was a little heated and potentially volatile.
Ordinary people will be able to bid farewell to the Armenia premier, who died of heart failure at the age of 55 on Sunday, in larger numbers on Wednesday when his body will be taken to Yerevan’s Opera House before being buried in the national Pantheon. Kocharian has declared Wednesday a day of national mourning.
Meanwhile, messages of sympathy continued to pour in from foreign leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Also sending their condolences were Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, whose country has no diplomatic relations with Armenia. The Armenian government said Turkey’s ambassador to neighboring Georgia is among foreign dignitaries who will arrive in Yerevan for Markarian’s funeral.
Outside Markiarian’s apartment today, I managed to see many of those who entered the apartment as friends, relatives and associates. They ranged from Hovik Abrahamian to Tigran Torosian, Arshak Sadoyan to Tigran Karapetian, Aram Z. Sarkisian to Albert Bazeyan, the Catholicos to Stepan Demirchian, and so many others. All walks of life from both sides of the political divide, basically.
Two things stand out most of all from today, however. Firstly, being manhandled by Deputy Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian’s guys after trying to take a photo of him in a public space. Speaking English got me out of that trouble, however. Secondly, unlike many officials here, Markarian did appear to live very humbly in a pretty basic apartment in a run-down Soviet-era building in Avan.
After waiting for two and half hours to enter Markarian’s apartment, though, I left earlier than I should of in retrospect. Traveling back home in a taxi, traffic was stopped for the President’s motorcade which I missed by 20 minutes, I suppose. Once again, my condolences to Markarian’s family. Photos will be posted when the EurasiaNet photo story is ready.
Avan, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007
Comment by Onnik — March 27, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
Comment by Onnik — March 28, 2007 @ 9:20 am
Hopefully Margarian’s death will be a lesson to Armenian males to lead a little less unhealthy lifestyle and reduce alcohol consumption and stop smoking.
Comment by nazarian — March 28, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
he lived in an apartment?
Comment by artyom — March 28, 2007 @ 8:12 pm
yep, and quite a basic one at that…
Comment by Onnik — March 28, 2007 @ 8:46 pm
Whatever I heard ( and from good sources) he was the least corrupt high ranking official in teh current government- his family didnt have major busness interests, maybe some minor ones though like a small shop etc. So he was a hamble man who knew that money is not that important. Probably that’s the reason that some many people gathered and there was almost no bad publicity. On the other hand I wander that why a man like him could be the head of a party which is based on curruption, oligarchs and crime. Probably he was thinking that he could bring some balance? I also read something in A1 that he wrote in 2004. here is teh Armenian version”
՚ Սիրում եմ կյանքը, արժանապատվությունս, ընտանիքս, նպատակներս, (որի համար զոհել եմ, զոհում եմ, կզոհեմ կյանքս եւ բոլորին): 7.05.2004թ.. ք. Երեւանՙ:
He wrote that for his aims he would sacrifice his life and everone. Everyone (բոլորին): ?? this sounds very Mussolini.
Comment by Haik — March 28, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Haik, there are accounts that journalists had a hard time understanding Margarian. As you notice the first sentence is in direct contradiction to the second.
Comment by nazarian — March 29, 2007 @ 5:59 am
Impressive photostory Onnik!!
The people interestingly enough started to say only nice words of him.
Comment by Zara — March 29, 2007 @ 10:55 am
It’s a shame that we’re just learning now what kind of person Prime Minister Markarian was. It shows that assumptions and rumors about him being this or that at the end of the day mean nothing.
Comment by cgarbis — March 30, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
Well, I suppose there won’t so many rumors about him, to be honest. I can remember that he was reported to have a cafe somewhere which you and I tried to find. Turned out that if it was his, it was such a basic and almost rickety cafe that apart from getting permission to put one up there, wouldn’t have cost much. It wasn’t like the very lavish and overly expensive cafes that have destroyed the park surrounding the Opera, basically. Only other rumor of note really related to his personal life and is best left out here. It’s not relevant, anyway. However, the point that he headed a party and government known for how much corruption is occurring among its senior members and representatives is paradoxical.
Comment by Onnik — March 30, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
Incidentally, that’s not to say that Markarian wasn’t corrupt as few people in Armenia aren’t. From teachers to doctors right up to the top, it defines the rules of the system in place for most. However, while there is talk about business interests and apartments and so on, they appear to be very small scale compared to the extent of corruption among other senior officials.
Comment by Onnik — April 2, 2007 @ 2:13 pm