Armenia-like countries have stereotyped problems - Freedom House rep

ArmInfo. In small countries like Armenia, certain problems are stereotyped and difficult to talk about  panel discussions, Marc Behrendt is the Director for Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House, stated at the Armenian Forum for Democracy on Monday. He noted that organizations such as Freedom  House take on the responsibility to begin such discussions.

As an example, a representative of Freedom House spoke about a report  prepared by the organization on the fate of Armenians who forcibly  left Nagorno-Karabakh. "I think that the preparation of this report  also required the participation of someone from the outside. I  believe that in some way we took upon ourselves the responsibility to  ensure the political protection of this report," the expert noted.

When asked what the organization contributed with its presence to  Armenia, Behrendt pointed to its credibility, noting that Freedom  House is known internationally for its trusted reports.

He also noted that 25 years ago, democratic ideas and human rights in  Armenia were only at the declarative level. "There was no need for  them. People equated it with justice or external values. But now, I  think, in Armenia there is a great need for the protection of human  rights. And this is no longer seen as something accepted from the  outside, but has become very important for the public important,"  Behrendt said.