SYSTEM OF A DOWN Frontman Takes Part In Public Discussion In Armenia (Video)

On August 15, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian who is of Armenian descent took part in a public discussion in Yerevan, the capital and largest city of Armenia, where he addressed more than 200 civil society members. Video footage of the hour-long event, which was organized by the Civilitas Foundation, a Yerevan think-tank, and the local office of Counterpart International, a U.S. civic development agency, can be seen below. A couple of highlights from the discussion follow.

On his belief that Armenia has done "pretty well" since gaining independence two decades ago:

Serj: "I think we need to establish the rule of law in this country. I think having a rule of law in the country from top to bottom will alleviate a lot of concerns, whether it's traffic tickets or taxes or wages or how many hours someone should work. It's all connected to this one thing of enforcing the rule of law. And the efficiencies created by the lowering of corruption will actually really spur productivity in this country and that will make it easier for foreign and local investment."

On the need for a strict separation between business and politics:

Serj: "In Armenia we have business and politics in the same seat. So one of them has got to get off the seat. You know, they can't be sitting in the same space. Otherwise, it looks like an orgy."

On how Armenians should be "patient" in expecting positive changes in their country:

Serj: "We are a 20-year-old country and in retrospect, if you look at the whole situation, I think we are doing pretty well, despite everything that we talked about. It's a beautiful country with beautiful people. There is a lot of potential, there is a lot of energy."

On the Teghut project, which if implemented, would lead to the destruction of some 128,000 trees, wreaking further havoc on Armenia's green areas, which have steadily shrunk since the 1990s:

Serj: "I think open-pit mining is very dangerous in this country and everywhere else. I think we'll be poisoning our lives by opening up that mine in the Teghut forest."

The members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, who are of Armenian descent, all lost family members and family history to the Armenian genocide.

During the first genocide of the 20th century, perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey during World War I against its Armenian population, over 1.5 million Armenians were annihilated and hundreds of thousands deported from their ancient homeland.