The following is essentially a two part commentary. The first part deals with Armenia's many Russophobes; a group of well educated, well trained and well funded men who have been trying to sow anti-Russian sentiments within Armenia for the ultimate purpose of eventually severing Armenia away from under Moscow's protective umbrella. The second part of this commentary essentially addresses the crucial importance of Armenians playing a more integral role within the Russian Federation for the ultimate purpose of creating a true interdependency or codependency between Russia and Armenia.
When RFE/Rl "Radio Liberty" recently released a Gallup poll study that again revealed strong pro-Russian sentiments prevailing in Armenia, I knew it was only a matter of time before they had one or more of their servants in Armenia make some noise. And when it was announced that Russian troops would be marching along side Armenian troops during the military parade commemorating the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union, I instinctively knew that all of Washington's creatures in Armenia would come out of the woods and start making some scary noises. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.
The Western campaign to draw Armenia away from Russia continues in full force. If left unchecked, this agenda will prove disastrous for the little embattled state in the south Caucasus.
One of the latest mercenaries to take the stage for Washington is aptly named HayKak. This HayKak character is being presented to the Armenian public as a "historian". I posted a copy of his Russophobic rant in an article called "Russophilia Hinders Us". Please read it carefully. It's not surprising that HayKak's interview appeared in Lragir, the same opposition press that featured the article "Tricolor Under Russian Boot" in the wake of Russian troops participating in Armenia's military parade on September 21. And it was only natural that HayKak's Lragir interview was also placed on agent Richard Giragosian's Facebook page.
Nevertheless, "historian" HayKak's rhetoric is very transparent, politically motivated and intellectually deficient. I am not going to bother responding to it in detail for doing so would be an absolute waste of my time. If the reader is clueless enough about Armenian history and the crucial role Russia plays within regional geopolitics to require a response to HayKak's stupidity, I simply ask them to read the following five part commentary as a start.
I have written volumes regarding this matter, something which in reality should be a non-issue in my opinion. But I'll say one thing here in response to HayKak's Russophobia:
Had the Russian not come down to the Caucasus in the early 19 century... had Russian Czars and Czarinas not favored Armenians in the Caucasus for generations... had the Czarist empire not officially encouraged the rise of Armenian nationalism in the late 19 century and protected Caucasian Armenia from Ottoman or Persian incursions... had the Bolshevik government then not kept Turks away from the Caucasus... had the Soviet Soviet not provide an opportunity for Armenia to become a republic... had the Soviet Union not developed Armenia's infrastructure, turning Yerevan from a dusty remote town into a modern metropolis... had the Russian Federation not supported Armenia politically, economically and militarily for the past twenty years - our dear "historian" HayKak would have been living life today as a TurkKak, KurdKak, YezdiKak or a ParsikKak.
No matter how one looks at it, in the big picture, Armenia's historic "Russophilia" has in fact helped preserve Armenia in one of the most violent and unforgiving places on earth. Having said that, I would also like to bring to the reader's attention that as a result of the intense anti-Russia psyops campaign in Armenia and the immensely powerful destructive forces of Globalism, Russia-friendly sentiments as well as political rationality in Armenia are in decline.
Although the older generation in Armenia continues to maintain pro-Russian sentiments, the younger generation is being systematically lured by Western Globalism.
If this destructive trend is not remedied anytime soon, the Armenian nation-state will face serious risks in the near future. If God forbid they get their way and they eventually manage to turn the Armenian sheeple against Moscow, Armenia's life expectancy in the Caucasus will be drastically cut short. Unfortunately, this HayKak character is not the only Russophobe making news in Armenia recently. Paruyr Hayrikyan (onetime Soviet dissident, longtime Washington favorite), agent Richard Giragosian (one of Washington's mercenaries sent to Armenia in recent years) and an opposition press known as Lragir have all made some noise recently.
The problem here essentially is that relations between Russia and Armenia have been so exemplary in recent years that Washington's numerous agents in Armenia seem to be working more intensely than ever to undermine it, but all the complaints and objections they are coming up with are either petty stuff or down right imaginary stuff.
The self-destructive peasants working at Lragir for example are complaining that Armenia is "under the Russian boot"! They are also complaining that Russia is "raping" Armenia... Unbeknownst to these peasants perhaps, but it has been the Russian military base in Armenia that has kept Turkey on their side of the Arax River for the past twenty years. When silly idiots working for Lragir pull their heads out of their stinking asses they may just realize that Russia has actually prevented the gang-raping of Armenia by Turks, Azeris, Georgians and Western energy interests.
Echoing Raffi Hovanissian's Washingtonian sentiments, Lragir is now demanding that Armenia needs to be treated as an "equal" by Moscow. Well, I don't want to hurt anyone's patriotic feelings here but Yerevan demanding from Moscow that it be treated as an equal is akin to a weary cat in a violent neighborhood demanding from a lion that it be treated equally.
Besides, are there any nations on God's earth that the Anglo-American-Zionist alliance treats equally? What twisted planet do our politicians, journalists, activists and analysts live on?
I don't know about "equal" treatment but Moscow has in fact treated Armenia with gentle if stern hands.
Considering what Armenia receives from Russia in terms of bilateral trade, affordable energy, nuclear fuel, weapons provisions, investments and military/diplomatic protection, Russia has actually treated Armenia with white gloves. The point here is that Russia does not have to do a lot of what it has been doing for Armenia, such as officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide and going out of its way to show the world that it is allied to Armenia, and still keep Armenia within its political orbit. We should also be mindful of the fact that Armenia has not had another major war with Azerbaijan simply because of the geopolitical factor of Russia and not because Azeris are terribly afraid of Armenia or ther Armenian diaspora.
As far as I'm concerned, one of the greatest sights in recent times was Russian and Armenian troops marching side-by-side in Republic Square in Armenia. While some saw this as an insult to Armenia's independence, I saw it as an big insult to Western oil firms, NATO, Turks, Azeris, Georgians and Islamic fundamentalists in the Caucasus.
Echoing comments made in the past by seas0ned Washingtonian veterans such as Raffi Hovannisian and Paruyr Hayrikyan, one of Armenia's newest operatives, agent Richard Giragosian, is also now on record complaining that Russia does not "pay rent" for the military base it operates in Armenia. Agent Giragosian is right, Russia does not pay rent for the utilization of the military base on the outskirts of Gyumri in north-western Armenia.
What agent Giragosian conveniently forgot mentioning, however, was that Russia has showered Armenia with billions of dollars of modern weaponry and military training essentially for free. He also conveniently forgot mentioning that the base in question essentially operates jointly with the armed forces of Armenia. He also conveniently forgot mentioning that the Russian base's officially stated mission task is to protect Armenia as well as the interests of Russia. Giragosian also conveniently forgot to mention that the monetary value of the military deterrence Russia has been providing against Turkey and Azerbaijan is in fact - priceless!
Of all the things that one can think about regarding Armenia's relationship with Russia, all our brilliant Russophobes could come up with was asking Moscow for rent?! I mean how much more desperate and pathetic can these people be? Had these people's political agenda in Armenia not been so dangerous for the small republic in the Caucasus they would actually be quite funny.
It is painfully obvious that the primary wish of our Washingtonian agents is to have Armenia severed from under Moscow's protective umbrella at all costs - so that forces of "freedom and democracy", in other words the fighting wing of Western energy interests in the Caucasus, can easily move their various corrosive tentacles into the Caucasus without Russian or Iranian hindrance. Armenians must stop listening to these operatives despite the impressive disguises they operate from under. Armenians must also stop making silly comments about the need to be "independent" from Russia.
In this day in age there are only a handful of truly independent nations on earth.
A vast majority of nations rely on one major power or another for survival. Being that our small, poor, remote, landlocked and blockaded nation surrounded by enemies is located in a violent place like the Caucasus and not in a happy-go-lucky place like Scandinavia - thank God Armenia has the Bear to rely on!
Now, to briefly address yet another one of Washington's favorite human assets in Armenia making scary noises recently - the great "nationalist" leader, Paruyr Hayrikian.
First, a couple of words about Hayrikian's political biography and political platform: Hayrikian was a well-known Soviet dissident in the 1970s and the 1980s. Involved in an early independence movement within Soviet Armenia, he suffered many years in Soviet prisons. When Hayrikian married a Russian-Jewess connected to the CIA organized dissident movement within the Soviet Union, his career as a anti-Soviet/anti-Russian crusader took off to new heights.
Exiled from Soviet Armenia in the late 1980s, Hayrikian was even paraded around Washington like a Cold War trophy by the Reagan administration. Hayrikian returned to Armenia soon after its independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, one of Hayrikian's most enduring legacies in Armenia has been to propagate Russophobia and to attack Armenia's pro-Russian policies.
Interestingly, Hayrikian expresses strong neoconservative sentiments. A fantasy of his seems to be to unite with Georgians and Azeris and drive Russians out of the Caucasus. And he has supposedly prepared a formula with which he claims he can turn a "corrupt" Armenia into democratic paradise... that is if only them primitive, Russophilic Armenian officials ever allowed him!
Twenty years after the demise of the Soviet Union Hayrikian is still feverishly fighting the Cold War and he is still desperately seeking Western hegemony over the Caucasus. I have posted several old and new press releases by Hayrikyan, including an interview he recently gave to a Georgian news organization. Please read them all to familiarize yourselves with his political agenda.
As usual, Hayrikian's main theme is Russophobia and his main goal is to drive Russians out of the Caucasus.
The following video links are to a troubling press conference he gave several months ago. Please watch it closely: Hayrikian is claiming, with a straight face nonetheless, that if Armenia doesn't get its political act straight (in other words become a slave for Western energy interests in the Caucasus) the forces of freedom and democracy wont help it when Azerbaijan (who according to him is much more powerful than Armenia) decides to attack -
In the very twisted/surreal political world Hayrikian lives in, the United States is not closely allied to Armenia simply because Armenia is a corrupt society bordering on being "a filthy Russian province" not deserving of Western help.After all these years... after all we have seen... after all we now know about global affairs and the political West... is Hayrikian still under the impression that all Washington cares about in the Caucasus is truth, justice and the American way? Or is he bluffing? After watching his obscenely ridiculous press conference I waited to see if Hayrikian was going to look at the camera at the end, smile and say - just kidding folks!
Alas, to my disappointment he did not. He was indeed painfully serious.
And it gets even uglier: Hayrikian has also recently made some flattering comments about Levon Petrosian, a man he supposedly despised for many years. Has Petrosian found Jesus, or closer to Hayrikian's heart, has he found "Մեծն" Reagan? Has Petrosian repented and changed his treasonous ways? Of course not. If not, then what's with Hayrikian's change of heart all of a sudden? If I had to guess, I would say that since Petrosian has been defanged by Serj Sargsyan and since Moscow's political clout continues to grow in Yerevan, Washington's men in Armenia are being asked to try to somehow salvage the political situation by rallying the political opposition in Armenia against the authorities. As a result, here we have a great/noble "nationalist" leader like Hayrikian warming to a treasonous criminal like Petrosian simply because the Russian-backed regime in Yerevan is getting stronger by the day.
Typical Armenian style politics, I must say.
I know Hayrikian to be a very intelligent and shrewd man. Thus, I have to ask the following question: Is Hayrikian suffering from serious political delusions/hallucinations (a sign of psychological/medical problems) or is he only carrying out a carefully planned Western agenda (simply a professional matter)? Or is he merely attempting to exact revenge for the many years he spent in Soviet jails - at the expense of political rationality and Armenia's modern day relations with the Russian Federation?
I don't definitively know the answers to these questions but it sometimes sure feels as if Armenia's only "neocon" activist reserves more hate towards Russians than towards Turks.
I strongly suspect that when Hayrikian was organizing freedom-fighters during the war of liberation in Artsakh he was doing so to fight the Soviet/Russians and not Azeris/Turks per se. As mentioned above, if he could, Hayrikian would unite with Georgians and Azeris in a heartbeat just to expel Russians from the Caucasus. The raw/unbridled hate towards everything Russia is the internal energy that has been driving Hayrikian's political actions in Armenia for the past twenty years. More than once I have heard from his devoted followers the comment - "Russians are worst than Turks". And despite how hard I try to understand this absurd/suicidal mentality, I simply cant wrap my mind around it.
After a long hiatus, Washington's oldest activists in Armenia seems to have been reactivated by his handlers in Washington.
As we can see, the current political scene in Armenia leaves a lot to be desired: Raffi Hovanissian and family... Jirayr Libaridian... Vartan Oskanian... Tigran Torosyan... Alex Arzumanyan, Ara Papyan... Levon Petrosian... Paruyr Hayrikyan... Jirayr Sefilian... Richard Giragosian... and now "historian" HayKak.
Unfortunately, these men are not fringe elements in Armenian society. When we throw certain ARF elements into this diverse mix, we realize that these men in fact represent a significant portion of Armenian society today. These men are well respected, well known, well organized, well funded and they represent, directly and indirectly, Western interests in Armenia. One of their tasks is to sow fear and panic into the Armenian sheeple and the other is to drive a wedge between Yerevan and Moscow.
Although the survival instincts of Armenians are such that the Armenian population continues to remain instinctively Russia-friendly, these men are essentially working on weakening that very instinct that has preserved Armenia in the Caucasus for generations.
Despite the strong pro-Russian sentiments of the Armenian people, the troubling reality is that Armenia's current political scene remains saturated by men serving Western interests. Therefore, it is no wonder that Moscow keeps Armenia under tight control.
Recent news reports about Moscow allegedly advising Armenian authorities to stop their on-going dialogue with opposition leaders (see relevant article below) may be rooted in the fact that many of these opposition leaders are operating under orders from Washington, and Moscow simply does not want Yerevan to go down that route. Moscow is not about to take chances by allowing Armenians to independently manage their political matters. This may sound strange for the uninitiated, but I feel very confidant knowing that Moscow is watching over the shoulders of Armenian politicians.
Suicidal tendencies and political irrationalities do not seem to have any limits amongst some Armenians these days. This situation is so alarming that some Armenian politicians today look at a political entity that poses a grave threat to Armenia and they see a friend... and they look at a political entity that sustains Armenia and they see an enemy. Instead of these people uniting and working towards extracting the maximum benefit Armenia can derive from its unique and historic relationship with a massive superpower like Russia, they instead are trying to make Armenia vulnerable in a nasty geopolitical environment saturated by hungry predators. Instead of uniting behind Armenia's only promising geopolitical alignment, Armenians are allowing Armenia to be torn apart by competing political forces. As history has shown us, Armenians have been Armenia's greatest obstacle. Unfortunately, I see the same situation prevailing today.
Russia is a historic opportunity
I want Armenians to awaken to the fact that there is a historic opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of in Russia: Armenians can be in Russia what Jews are in America.
The potential to turn the massive might of the Russian Federation into an extension of Armenian interests is fully there, all that is required is for some foresight and a well organized, pan-national effort to cultivate such an agenda. Sadly, due to persistent anti-Russian propaganda and the lingering effects of Cold War psychosis, a significant number of Armenians today choose instead to engage in fear-mongering and bad-mouthing everything Russian.
Unlike in the United States, where certain strategic sectors of the nation's infrastructure are virtually off-limits to non-insiders (e.g. none WASPs and none Jews), Armenians have disproportionately high representation in virtually all sectors of Russian society. Whether it's top level government officials or major news media executives; whether its individuals representing Russia's military industrial complex or a small army of millionaires in business, finance and banking; Armenians are highly regarded in the Russian Federation.
One of the main intentions of this blog is to help arouse the realization amongst Armenians that they need to stop admiring Jews and start acting like Jews.
Instead of sitting back and jealously admiring Jews for what they have accomplished in the West due to their political unity, strategic foresight and stubborn tenacity, we Armenians should be actively working towards sowing the seeds of Armenianism in the Kremlin.
I reiterate, Armenians can be in Russia what Jews are in America. Armenians need to collectively work towards this goal because there is a historic opportunity for them to play a great role in the Russian Federation. This can happen because of the mutually beneficial interests that currently exists between Moscow and Yerevan.
We can for once cultivate a serious alliance with one of the most powerful superpowers on earth, a superpower that actually has long-term geostrategic interests in Armenia! Armenians need to begin laying the foundations for this today.
Thank God, there is some work being done in this regard. The Armenian president's recent comments about the importance of engaging Russian-Armenians makes me think there are some in the Armenian government today thinking in this direction. See president Sargsyan's comments posted on this page. Having lost all hope in the American-Armenian diaspora (an troublesome entity that is gradually becoming a serious problem for Armenia in my opinion), I remain hopeful that the Russian-Armenian community will be the primary protectorate of the embattled Armenian homeland.
Kremlin-backed business tycoon Ara Abrahamyan has been a key player in attempting to cultivate a greater political role for Armenians in Russia. Abrahamyan, who enjoys close relations with top Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, is the president of the Union of Armenians in Russia. Abrahamyan's organization is dedicated to advancing Armenian interests in Russia and promoting greater cooperation between Yerevan and Moscow. Despite his powerful clout in Moscow, despite his efforts to foster a greater role for Armenians in Moscow, Abrahamyan has not been taken seriously by the rest of the Armenian diaspora. Seeking collaboration, Abrahamyan has even reached out to the American-Armenian diaspora, only to be shunned by them. In a televised interview he recently gave, he complained about this situation and he also sounded the alarm that not enough is being collectively done to increase the Armenian factor within the Kremlin.
Armenians are failing to realize that Turks/Azeris are sparing no efforts in promoting their national causes in Moscow. Armenians are failing to realize that if Armenians lose Russia, Armenians will also lose Armenia. Armenians are failing to realize that Armenians have lost Washington. As a matter of fact, Armenians had never won Washington's favor to begin with.
Armenians have literally wasted decades getting nothing done in Washington. All that the lobbying efforts of the boastful American-Armenian community in the United States has gotten Armenia is closer cooperation between Washington and Ankara/Baku. Armenians need to come to their senses and get proactive in Russia instead because Moscow is for all intents and purposes the Alpha and the Omega of the Caucasus. One of Ara Abrahamyan's colleagues, Levon Manukyan, who happens to be the vice president of the Union of Armenians of Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs gave an interesting interview to a Georgian press agency. He made some very interesting comments that are worth reading for they highlight the nature and character of the Russian-Armenian community. I have posted his interview towards the bottom of this page.
I can't say this enough - the Russian-Armenian diaspora needs to be the focus of our collective attention. Armenians need to be embarking on a pan-national effort not in an anti-Armenian viper's nest like Washington but within the friendly halls of the Kremlin. Men like Ara Abrahamyan shouldn't be reaching out to the rest of the Armenian diaspora, the rest of the Armenian diaspora needs to be reaching out to him!
Although Armenia and Russia have a close strategic alliance, at the end of the day, Armenia needs Russia much more than Russia needs Armenia. This situation can naturally cause imbalances. Therefore, Armenians need to figure out a way a create a true interdependency or codependency between Moscow and Yerevan. It can be done. It only requires vision and effort. Armenians are one of the most, if not the most, powerful minorities in the Russian Federation today. Look at highest positions in Russian news media and you'll find Armenians. Look at highest positions in Russian finance and you'll find Armenians. Looking at the highest positions in Russia's military industrial complex and you'll find Armenians. Looking at top celebrities and artists in Russia and you'll find Armenians. In fact, despite what American-Armenians want to believe, the Russian-Armenian diaspora is by-far the most successful and the most affluent in the Armenian world.
While the American-Armenian community has given us an internationally renowned whore and an over-the-hill billionaire that would rather throw his money away than give it to a "corrupt" Armenia, the Russian-Armenian community has given us Arthur Chilingarov (world famous explorer and member of the Russian State Duma), Armen Oganesyan (CEO of Voice of Russia), Michael Petrosyan (director of Sukhoi aeronautical industries), Margarita Simonyan (editor-in-chief of Russia Today), Ashot Eghiazaryan (Russian State Duma member), Karen Shakhnazarov (CEO of Mosfilm, one of the world's largest film studios), Sergey Galitsky (billionaire owner of Magnit, the largest retail chain in Russia), Ruben Vardanyan (billionaire and former CEO and Chairman of Troika Dialog Group), Ruben Aganbegyan (CEO of Russia of Renaissance Capital, president of Micex), Danil Khachaturov (chairman of RosGosStrakh), Ara Abrahamyan (Russian-Armenian community representative and business tycoon), Gennady Melikiyan (First Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia) and many-many more...
The Russian-Armenian community needs to be embraced, encouraged and better organized for within them lies the seeds of Armenia's future greatness.
For the past twenty years, while the proud Armenian diaspora in the United States and the Middle East talked and talked and talked and complained and whined about smelly toilets in Armenia, about corruption in Armenia and prostitutes in Armenia and about cigarette butts littering the streets in Armenia... it was Russian-Armenian money that was keeping the republic afloat; it was the Russian Federation that was providing Armenia with weaponry, military training, affordable nuclear fuel, affordable gas/oil, billions of dollars in economic aid and most important of them all - military protection against Turkey and Azerbaijan. Instead of seeing a historic opportunity in Russia, an opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of, our self-destructive peasantry is again trying to sow the seeds of Armenia's destruction by disseminating Russophobia in Armenia.
Which brings me to the following question many readers may have: How close is too close to the Russian Federation? And would Russia ever abandon Armenia to Turks?
In my opinion, a worst case scenario Armenia faces in its relationship with Moscow, a very far-fetched scenario in my opinion, would be Russia seeking to incorporate Armenia as a province within its federation, similar to what it has done with the republics of North Ossetia, Daghestan and Chechnya. Nevertheless, as far as abandonment is concerned, that's simply out of the question. Moscow would not even a million years even think about abandoning Armenia to Turks, to Persians or to Western powers. If that's what Armenians are afraid of, they have nothing to be afraid of. Even the evil Bolsheviks had enough geopolitical sense to keep Armenia alive in the Caucasus, albeit mutilated.
When it comes to modern Russian-Armenian relations the most probable or the most realistic scenario would be for the Russian Federation to continue allying itself to Armenia, similar to the relationship that currently exists between the United States and Israel.
The Soviet empire is no longer exists and at least for the foreseeable future Russia will pose no cultural threat to Armenia. Armenians need to wake-up and exploit the historic opportunity Moscow is providing it to its maximum potential.
Thankfully, despite all odds, we are seeing the gradual development of a truly great alliance between Russia and Armenia. This healthy political development between Moscow and Yerevan is not because of the "Russophilia" of Armenians in Armenia, it is because of a handful of farsighted individuals in Armenia's state infrastructures and, I have to admit, also due to a number of "traitors" working for the Kremlin in various important sectors in Armenia. It is because of these individuals that Armenia has not fully fallen victim not only to the machinations of political West but also to the corrosive affects of Globalism.
In short, if Armenia today remains firmly allied to Russia it is simply due to the efforts of a few individuals.
Without these few individuals keeping Armenia afloat, Armenia can easily fall victim to the Western alliance and its Turkic/Islamic friends. This may help in explaining to the reader why I am constantly sounding the alarm regarding this topic.
When Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, shortsighted and emotional Armenians enthusiastically began purging all Soviet/Russian institutions throughout Armenia.
Instead of filling this artificially created void with Armenian alternatives, Armenian authorities at the time allowed the political West to take advantage of the situation by saturating Armenia with English language institutions and organizations.
What followed then was a drastic decline in the quality of education in Armenia. Equally detrimental to the Armenian nation was the drastic decline in Russian speakers in Armenia. The English language driven cultural/intellectual degradation that has adversely infected the entire globe during the past several decades also began to take its toll in Armenia. Instrumental in this degradation process was Ashot Beleyan, the a fast-speaking street punk who served as "education minister" under Levon Petrosian during the 1990s.
Thankfully, with the gradual reinstatement of cultural exchange programs with Russia, Armenia has only recently began reversing some of the aforementioned damage. Coming from someone who cannot even put two Russian words together, I believe that the primary second language in Armenia must be Russian. There is no alternative to this. Tertiary languages in Armenia can be English, Turkish, French, Chinese, German and Persian.
Armenia needs more exposure to Russian and European cultures and less exposure to the English-driven Globalist poison it has been bombarded with for the past twenty years.
In final thought, Russophilia may be hindering Armenia... in some manner, although I fail to see how... Russophobia, however, in any degree whatsoever will definitely kill Armenia!
Blind love for everything Western and unbridled Amerophilia will ruin any unsuspecting nation. Bolsheviks have long been retired to the dark pages of history. Soviets are no longer around. What all patriotic Armenians need to be wary of today is Western Globalism which in is fact a modern form of Bolshevism but unlike its Soviet counterpart (which actually preserved the Armenian nation in the Caucasus) Western Globalism will prove deadly for a small vulnerable nation like Armenia. What makes the West more dangerous is that unlike the primitive Bolsheviks of yesteryear which forced their political agenda upon various peoples through violence and intimidation, the sophisticated West achieves its destructive political agenda primarily through soft power - via cultural and economic measures.
The following news articles and press interviews underscores the psychological operations campaign currently being carried out in Armenia by political interests serving the Western alliance and the countermeasures being undertaken by Moscow and the Russian-Armenians. All self-respecting patriotic Armenians need to put aside their Cold War era sentiments and Russophobic paranoias and take close note of this ideological/cultural/political battlefield. This is a battle Armenia can easily lose. This is a battle Armenia cannot afford to lose. If Armenia loses this battle, the very existence of the Armenian state in the Caucasus will be in jeopardy. Armenians need to come to the realization that issues pertaining to Russia are very serious matters for the long-term health and well being of the Armenian homeland.
The primary purpose of this blog is to raise awareness and to serve as a countermeasure. I remain hopeful that Armenia's Russophobes will not succeed in their suicidal plans. I simply want the damage they are currently creating, however, to be as insignificant as possible. Long live Mother Russia. Long live our Hayrenik. Long live the centuries old Russian-Armenian alliance.
Arevordi
October, 2011
When RFE/Rl "Radio Liberty" recently released a Gallup poll study that again revealed strong pro-Russian sentiments prevailing in Armenia, I knew it was only a matter of time before they had one or more of their servants in Armenia make some noise. And when it was announced that Russian troops would be marching along side Armenian troops during the military parade commemorating the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union, I instinctively knew that all of Washington's creatures in Armenia would come out of the woods and start making some scary noises. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.
The Western campaign to draw Armenia away from Russia continues in full force. If left unchecked, this agenda will prove disastrous for the little embattled state in the south Caucasus.
One of the latest mercenaries to take the stage for Washington is aptly named HayKak. This HayKak character is being presented to the Armenian public as a "historian". I posted a copy of his Russophobic rant in an article called "Russophilia Hinders Us". Please read it carefully. It's not surprising that HayKak's interview appeared in Lragir, the same opposition press that featured the article "Tricolor Under Russian Boot" in the wake of Russian troops participating in Armenia's military parade on September 21. And it was only natural that HayKak's Lragir interview was also placed on agent Richard Giragosian's Facebook page.
Nevertheless, "historian" HayKak's rhetoric is very transparent, politically motivated and intellectually deficient. I am not going to bother responding to it in detail for doing so would be an absolute waste of my time. If the reader is clueless enough about Armenian history and the crucial role Russia plays within regional geopolitics to require a response to HayKak's stupidity, I simply ask them to read the following five part commentary as a start.
Caucasus Update I: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-result-of-russias-growing-military.html
Caucasus Update II: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/caucasus-update-part-ii-russias.html
Caucasus Update III: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-we-armenians-watched-president-of.html
Caucasus Update IV: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/although-bit-measured-in-other-words.html
Caucasus Update V: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/many-armenians-today-no-longer-seem.html
Had the Russian not come down to the Caucasus in the early 19 century... had Russian Czars and Czarinas not favored Armenians in the Caucasus for generations... had the Czarist empire not officially encouraged the rise of Armenian nationalism in the late 19 century and protected Caucasian Armenia from Ottoman or Persian incursions... had the Bolshevik government then not kept Turks away from the Caucasus... had the Soviet Soviet not provide an opportunity for Armenia to become a republic... had the Soviet Union not developed Armenia's infrastructure, turning Yerevan from a dusty remote town into a modern metropolis... had the Russian Federation not supported Armenia politically, economically and militarily for the past twenty years - our dear "historian" HayKak would have been living life today as a TurkKak, KurdKak, YezdiKak or a ParsikKak.
No matter how one looks at it, in the big picture, Armenia's historic "Russophilia" has in fact helped preserve Armenia in one of the most violent and unforgiving places on earth. Having said that, I would also like to bring to the reader's attention that as a result of the intense anti-Russia psyops campaign in Armenia and the immensely powerful destructive forces of Globalism, Russia-friendly sentiments as well as political rationality in Armenia are in decline.
Although the older generation in Armenia continues to maintain pro-Russian sentiments, the younger generation is being systematically lured by Western Globalism.
If this destructive trend is not remedied anytime soon, the Armenian nation-state will face serious risks in the near future. If God forbid they get their way and they eventually manage to turn the Armenian sheeple against Moscow, Armenia's life expectancy in the Caucasus will be drastically cut short. Unfortunately, this HayKak character is not the only Russophobe making news in Armenia recently. Paruyr Hayrikyan (onetime Soviet dissident, longtime Washington favorite), agent Richard Giragosian (one of Washington's mercenaries sent to Armenia in recent years) and an opposition press known as Lragir have all made some noise recently.
The problem here essentially is that relations between Russia and Armenia have been so exemplary in recent years that Washington's numerous agents in Armenia seem to be working more intensely than ever to undermine it, but all the complaints and objections they are coming up with are either petty stuff or down right imaginary stuff.
The self-destructive peasants working at Lragir for example are complaining that Armenia is "under the Russian boot"! They are also complaining that Russia is "raping" Armenia... Unbeknownst to these peasants perhaps, but it has been the Russian military base in Armenia that has kept Turkey on their side of the Arax River for the past twenty years. When silly idiots working for Lragir pull their heads out of their stinking asses they may just realize that Russia has actually prevented the gang-raping of Armenia by Turks, Azeris, Georgians and Western energy interests.
Echoing Raffi Hovanissian's Washingtonian sentiments, Lragir is now demanding that Armenia needs to be treated as an "equal" by Moscow. Well, I don't want to hurt anyone's patriotic feelings here but Yerevan demanding from Moscow that it be treated as an equal is akin to a weary cat in a violent neighborhood demanding from a lion that it be treated equally.
Besides, are there any nations on God's earth that the Anglo-American-Zionist alliance treats equally? What twisted planet do our politicians, journalists, activists and analysts live on?
I don't know about "equal" treatment but Moscow has in fact treated Armenia with gentle if stern hands.
Considering what Armenia receives from Russia in terms of bilateral trade, affordable energy, nuclear fuel, weapons provisions, investments and military/diplomatic protection, Russia has actually treated Armenia with white gloves. The point here is that Russia does not have to do a lot of what it has been doing for Armenia, such as officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide and going out of its way to show the world that it is allied to Armenia, and still keep Armenia within its political orbit. We should also be mindful of the fact that Armenia has not had another major war with Azerbaijan simply because of the geopolitical factor of Russia and not because Azeris are terribly afraid of Armenia or ther Armenian diaspora.
As far as I'm concerned, one of the greatest sights in recent times was Russian and Armenian troops marching side-by-side in Republic Square in Armenia. While some saw this as an insult to Armenia's independence, I saw it as an big insult to Western oil firms, NATO, Turks, Azeris, Georgians and Islamic fundamentalists in the Caucasus.
Echoing comments made in the past by seas0ned Washingtonian veterans such as Raffi Hovannisian and Paruyr Hayrikyan, one of Armenia's newest operatives, agent Richard Giragosian, is also now on record complaining that Russia does not "pay rent" for the military base it operates in Armenia. Agent Giragosian is right, Russia does not pay rent for the utilization of the military base on the outskirts of Gyumri in north-western Armenia.
What agent Giragosian conveniently forgot mentioning, however, was that Russia has showered Armenia with billions of dollars of modern weaponry and military training essentially for free. He also conveniently forgot mentioning that the base in question essentially operates jointly with the armed forces of Armenia. He also conveniently forgot mentioning that the Russian base's officially stated mission task is to protect Armenia as well as the interests of Russia. Giragosian also conveniently forgot to mention that the monetary value of the military deterrence Russia has been providing against Turkey and Azerbaijan is in fact - priceless!
Of all the things that one can think about regarding Armenia's relationship with Russia, all our brilliant Russophobes could come up with was asking Moscow for rent?! I mean how much more desperate and pathetic can these people be? Had these people's political agenda in Armenia not been so dangerous for the small republic in the Caucasus they would actually be quite funny.
It is painfully obvious that the primary wish of our Washingtonian agents is to have Armenia severed from under Moscow's protective umbrella at all costs - so that forces of "freedom and democracy", in other words the fighting wing of Western energy interests in the Caucasus, can easily move their various corrosive tentacles into the Caucasus without Russian or Iranian hindrance. Armenians must stop listening to these operatives despite the impressive disguises they operate from under. Armenians must also stop making silly comments about the need to be "independent" from Russia.
In this day in age there are only a handful of truly independent nations on earth.
A vast majority of nations rely on one major power or another for survival. Being that our small, poor, remote, landlocked and blockaded nation surrounded by enemies is located in a violent place like the Caucasus and not in a happy-go-lucky place like Scandinavia - thank God Armenia has the Bear to rely on!
Now, to briefly address yet another one of Washington's favorite human assets in Armenia making scary noises recently - the great "nationalist" leader, Paruyr Hayrikian.
First, a couple of words about Hayrikian's political biography and political platform: Hayrikian was a well-known Soviet dissident in the 1970s and the 1980s. Involved in an early independence movement within Soviet Armenia, he suffered many years in Soviet prisons. When Hayrikian married a Russian-Jewess connected to the CIA organized dissident movement within the Soviet Union, his career as a anti-Soviet/anti-Russian crusader took off to new heights.
Exiled from Soviet Armenia in the late 1980s, Hayrikian was even paraded around Washington like a Cold War trophy by the Reagan administration. Hayrikian returned to Armenia soon after its independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, one of Hayrikian's most enduring legacies in Armenia has been to propagate Russophobia and to attack Armenia's pro-Russian policies.
Interestingly, Hayrikian expresses strong neoconservative sentiments. A fantasy of his seems to be to unite with Georgians and Azeris and drive Russians out of the Caucasus. And he has supposedly prepared a formula with which he claims he can turn a "corrupt" Armenia into democratic paradise... that is if only them primitive, Russophilic Armenian officials ever allowed him!
Twenty years after the demise of the Soviet Union Hayrikian is still feverishly fighting the Cold War and he is still desperately seeking Western hegemony over the Caucasus. I have posted several old and new press releases by Hayrikyan, including an interview he recently gave to a Georgian news organization. Please read them all to familiarize yourselves with his political agenda.
As usual, Hayrikian's main theme is Russophobia and his main goal is to drive Russians out of the Caucasus.
The following video links are to a troubling press conference he gave several months ago. Please watch it closely: Hayrikian is claiming, with a straight face nonetheless, that if Armenia doesn't get its political act straight (in other words become a slave for Western energy interests in the Caucasus) the forces of freedom and democracy wont help it when Azerbaijan (who according to him is much more powerful than Armenia) decides to attack -
Paruyr Hayrikyan - Pastark Akumb part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlthyY2XrmU
Paruyr Hayrikyan - Pastark Akumb part 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwwjRQMN8Jg
Yes, you heard it right! Hayrikian wants us to believe that if Armenia does not become a "democratic" nation right away, the armed forces of the United States wont bomb Azerbaijan to protect Armenia when Baku decides to attack. Is this man #@$%ing serious?!Paruyr Hayrikyan - Pastark Akumb part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BqwxiUXGw
In the very twisted/surreal political world Hayrikian lives in, the United States is not closely allied to Armenia simply because Armenia is a corrupt society bordering on being "a filthy Russian province" not deserving of Western help.After all these years... after all we have seen... after all we now know about global affairs and the political West... is Hayrikian still under the impression that all Washington cares about in the Caucasus is truth, justice and the American way? Or is he bluffing? After watching his obscenely ridiculous press conference I waited to see if Hayrikian was going to look at the camera at the end, smile and say - just kidding folks!
Alas, to my disappointment he did not. He was indeed painfully serious.
And it gets even uglier: Hayrikian has also recently made some flattering comments about Levon Petrosian, a man he supposedly despised for many years. Has Petrosian found Jesus, or closer to Hayrikian's heart, has he found "Մեծն" Reagan? Has Petrosian repented and changed his treasonous ways? Of course not. If not, then what's with Hayrikian's change of heart all of a sudden? If I had to guess, I would say that since Petrosian has been defanged by Serj Sargsyan and since Moscow's political clout continues to grow in Yerevan, Washington's men in Armenia are being asked to try to somehow salvage the political situation by rallying the political opposition in Armenia against the authorities. As a result, here we have a great/noble "nationalist" leader like Hayrikian warming to a treasonous criminal like Petrosian simply because the Russian-backed regime in Yerevan is getting stronger by the day.
Typical Armenian style politics, I must say.
I know Hayrikian to be a very intelligent and shrewd man. Thus, I have to ask the following question: Is Hayrikian suffering from serious political delusions/hallucinations (a sign of psychological/medical problems) or is he only carrying out a carefully planned Western agenda (simply a professional matter)? Or is he merely attempting to exact revenge for the many years he spent in Soviet jails - at the expense of political rationality and Armenia's modern day relations with the Russian Federation?
I don't definitively know the answers to these questions but it sometimes sure feels as if Armenia's only "neocon" activist reserves more hate towards Russians than towards Turks.
I strongly suspect that when Hayrikian was organizing freedom-fighters during the war of liberation in Artsakh he was doing so to fight the Soviet/Russians and not Azeris/Turks per se. As mentioned above, if he could, Hayrikian would unite with Georgians and Azeris in a heartbeat just to expel Russians from the Caucasus. The raw/unbridled hate towards everything Russia is the internal energy that has been driving Hayrikian's political actions in Armenia for the past twenty years. More than once I have heard from his devoted followers the comment - "Russians are worst than Turks". And despite how hard I try to understand this absurd/suicidal mentality, I simply cant wrap my mind around it.
After a long hiatus, Washington's oldest activists in Armenia seems to have been reactivated by his handlers in Washington.
As we can see, the current political scene in Armenia leaves a lot to be desired: Raffi Hovanissian and family... Jirayr Libaridian... Vartan Oskanian... Tigran Torosyan... Alex Arzumanyan, Ara Papyan... Levon Petrosian... Paruyr Hayrikyan... Jirayr Sefilian... Richard Giragosian... and now "historian" HayKak.
Unfortunately, these men are not fringe elements in Armenian society. When we throw certain ARF elements into this diverse mix, we realize that these men in fact represent a significant portion of Armenian society today. These men are well respected, well known, well organized, well funded and they represent, directly and indirectly, Western interests in Armenia. One of their tasks is to sow fear and panic into the Armenian sheeple and the other is to drive a wedge between Yerevan and Moscow.
Although the survival instincts of Armenians are such that the Armenian population continues to remain instinctively Russia-friendly, these men are essentially working on weakening that very instinct that has preserved Armenia in the Caucasus for generations.
Despite the strong pro-Russian sentiments of the Armenian people, the troubling reality is that Armenia's current political scene remains saturated by men serving Western interests. Therefore, it is no wonder that Moscow keeps Armenia under tight control.
Recent news reports about Moscow allegedly advising Armenian authorities to stop their on-going dialogue with opposition leaders (see relevant article below) may be rooted in the fact that many of these opposition leaders are operating under orders from Washington, and Moscow simply does not want Yerevan to go down that route. Moscow is not about to take chances by allowing Armenians to independently manage their political matters. This may sound strange for the uninitiated, but I feel very confidant knowing that Moscow is watching over the shoulders of Armenian politicians.
Suicidal tendencies and political irrationalities do not seem to have any limits amongst some Armenians these days. This situation is so alarming that some Armenian politicians today look at a political entity that poses a grave threat to Armenia and they see a friend... and they look at a political entity that sustains Armenia and they see an enemy. Instead of these people uniting and working towards extracting the maximum benefit Armenia can derive from its unique and historic relationship with a massive superpower like Russia, they instead are trying to make Armenia vulnerable in a nasty geopolitical environment saturated by hungry predators. Instead of uniting behind Armenia's only promising geopolitical alignment, Armenians are allowing Armenia to be torn apart by competing political forces. As history has shown us, Armenians have been Armenia's greatest obstacle. Unfortunately, I see the same situation prevailing today.
Russia is a historic opportunity
I want Armenians to awaken to the fact that there is a historic opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of in Russia: Armenians can be in Russia what Jews are in America.
The potential to turn the massive might of the Russian Federation into an extension of Armenian interests is fully there, all that is required is for some foresight and a well organized, pan-national effort to cultivate such an agenda. Sadly, due to persistent anti-Russian propaganda and the lingering effects of Cold War psychosis, a significant number of Armenians today choose instead to engage in fear-mongering and bad-mouthing everything Russian.
Unlike in the United States, where certain strategic sectors of the nation's infrastructure are virtually off-limits to non-insiders (e.g. none WASPs and none Jews), Armenians have disproportionately high representation in virtually all sectors of Russian society. Whether it's top level government officials or major news media executives; whether its individuals representing Russia's military industrial complex or a small army of millionaires in business, finance and banking; Armenians are highly regarded in the Russian Federation.
One of the main intentions of this blog is to help arouse the realization amongst Armenians that they need to stop admiring Jews and start acting like Jews.
Instead of sitting back and jealously admiring Jews for what they have accomplished in the West due to their political unity, strategic foresight and stubborn tenacity, we Armenians should be actively working towards sowing the seeds of Armenianism in the Kremlin.
I reiterate, Armenians can be in Russia what Jews are in America. Armenians need to collectively work towards this goal because there is a historic opportunity for them to play a great role in the Russian Federation. This can happen because of the mutually beneficial interests that currently exists between Moscow and Yerevan.
We can for once cultivate a serious alliance with one of the most powerful superpowers on earth, a superpower that actually has long-term geostrategic interests in Armenia! Armenians need to begin laying the foundations for this today.
Thank God, there is some work being done in this regard. The Armenian president's recent comments about the importance of engaging Russian-Armenians makes me think there are some in the Armenian government today thinking in this direction. See president Sargsyan's comments posted on this page. Having lost all hope in the American-Armenian diaspora (an troublesome entity that is gradually becoming a serious problem for Armenia in my opinion), I remain hopeful that the Russian-Armenian community will be the primary protectorate of the embattled Armenian homeland.
Kremlin-backed business tycoon Ara Abrahamyan has been a key player in attempting to cultivate a greater political role for Armenians in Russia. Abrahamyan, who enjoys close relations with top Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, is the president of the Union of Armenians in Russia. Abrahamyan's organization is dedicated to advancing Armenian interests in Russia and promoting greater cooperation between Yerevan and Moscow. Despite his powerful clout in Moscow, despite his efforts to foster a greater role for Armenians in Moscow, Abrahamyan has not been taken seriously by the rest of the Armenian diaspora. Seeking collaboration, Abrahamyan has even reached out to the American-Armenian diaspora, only to be shunned by them. In a televised interview he recently gave, he complained about this situation and he also sounded the alarm that not enough is being collectively done to increase the Armenian factor within the Kremlin.
Armenians are failing to realize that Turks/Azeris are sparing no efforts in promoting their national causes in Moscow. Armenians are failing to realize that if Armenians lose Russia, Armenians will also lose Armenia. Armenians are failing to realize that Armenians have lost Washington. As a matter of fact, Armenians had never won Washington's favor to begin with.
Armenians have literally wasted decades getting nothing done in Washington. All that the lobbying efforts of the boastful American-Armenian community in the United States has gotten Armenia is closer cooperation between Washington and Ankara/Baku. Armenians need to come to their senses and get proactive in Russia instead because Moscow is for all intents and purposes the Alpha and the Omega of the Caucasus. One of Ara Abrahamyan's colleagues, Levon Manukyan, who happens to be the vice president of the Union of Armenians of Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs gave an interesting interview to a Georgian press agency. He made some very interesting comments that are worth reading for they highlight the nature and character of the Russian-Armenian community. I have posted his interview towards the bottom of this page.
I can't say this enough - the Russian-Armenian diaspora needs to be the focus of our collective attention. Armenians need to be embarking on a pan-national effort not in an anti-Armenian viper's nest like Washington but within the friendly halls of the Kremlin. Men like Ara Abrahamyan shouldn't be reaching out to the rest of the Armenian diaspora, the rest of the Armenian diaspora needs to be reaching out to him!
Although Armenia and Russia have a close strategic alliance, at the end of the day, Armenia needs Russia much more than Russia needs Armenia. This situation can naturally cause imbalances. Therefore, Armenians need to figure out a way a create a true interdependency or codependency between Moscow and Yerevan. It can be done. It only requires vision and effort. Armenians are one of the most, if not the most, powerful minorities in the Russian Federation today. Look at highest positions in Russian news media and you'll find Armenians. Look at highest positions in Russian finance and you'll find Armenians. Looking at the highest positions in Russia's military industrial complex and you'll find Armenians. Looking at top celebrities and artists in Russia and you'll find Armenians. In fact, despite what American-Armenians want to believe, the Russian-Armenian diaspora is by-far the most successful and the most affluent in the Armenian world.
While the American-Armenian community has given us an internationally renowned whore and an over-the-hill billionaire that would rather throw his money away than give it to a "corrupt" Armenia, the Russian-Armenian community has given us Arthur Chilingarov (world famous explorer and member of the Russian State Duma), Armen Oganesyan (CEO of Voice of Russia), Michael Petrosyan (director of Sukhoi aeronautical industries), Margarita Simonyan (editor-in-chief of Russia Today), Ashot Eghiazaryan (Russian State Duma member), Karen Shakhnazarov (CEO of Mosfilm, one of the world's largest film studios), Sergey Galitsky (billionaire owner of Magnit, the largest retail chain in Russia), Ruben Vardanyan (billionaire and former CEO and Chairman of Troika Dialog Group), Ruben Aganbegyan (CEO of Russia of Renaissance Capital, president of Micex), Danil Khachaturov (chairman of RosGosStrakh), Ara Abrahamyan (Russian-Armenian community representative and business tycoon), Gennady Melikiyan (First Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia) and many-many more...
The Russian-Armenian community needs to be embraced, encouraged and better organized for within them lies the seeds of Armenia's future greatness.
For the past twenty years, while the proud Armenian diaspora in the United States and the Middle East talked and talked and talked and complained and whined about smelly toilets in Armenia, about corruption in Armenia and prostitutes in Armenia and about cigarette butts littering the streets in Armenia... it was Russian-Armenian money that was keeping the republic afloat; it was the Russian Federation that was providing Armenia with weaponry, military training, affordable nuclear fuel, affordable gas/oil, billions of dollars in economic aid and most important of them all - military protection against Turkey and Azerbaijan. Instead of seeing a historic opportunity in Russia, an opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of, our self-destructive peasantry is again trying to sow the seeds of Armenia's destruction by disseminating Russophobia in Armenia.
Which brings me to the following question many readers may have: How close is too close to the Russian Federation? And would Russia ever abandon Armenia to Turks?
In my opinion, a worst case scenario Armenia faces in its relationship with Moscow, a very far-fetched scenario in my opinion, would be Russia seeking to incorporate Armenia as a province within its federation, similar to what it has done with the republics of North Ossetia, Daghestan and Chechnya. Nevertheless, as far as abandonment is concerned, that's simply out of the question. Moscow would not even a million years even think about abandoning Armenia to Turks, to Persians or to Western powers. If that's what Armenians are afraid of, they have nothing to be afraid of. Even the evil Bolsheviks had enough geopolitical sense to keep Armenia alive in the Caucasus, albeit mutilated.
When it comes to modern Russian-Armenian relations the most probable or the most realistic scenario would be for the Russian Federation to continue allying itself to Armenia, similar to the relationship that currently exists between the United States and Israel.
The Soviet empire is no longer exists and at least for the foreseeable future Russia will pose no cultural threat to Armenia. Armenians need to wake-up and exploit the historic opportunity Moscow is providing it to its maximum potential.
Thankfully, despite all odds, we are seeing the gradual development of a truly great alliance between Russia and Armenia. This healthy political development between Moscow and Yerevan is not because of the "Russophilia" of Armenians in Armenia, it is because of a handful of farsighted individuals in Armenia's state infrastructures and, I have to admit, also due to a number of "traitors" working for the Kremlin in various important sectors in Armenia. It is because of these individuals that Armenia has not fully fallen victim not only to the machinations of political West but also to the corrosive affects of Globalism.
In short, if Armenia today remains firmly allied to Russia it is simply due to the efforts of a few individuals.
Without these few individuals keeping Armenia afloat, Armenia can easily fall victim to the Western alliance and its Turkic/Islamic friends. This may help in explaining to the reader why I am constantly sounding the alarm regarding this topic.
When Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, shortsighted and emotional Armenians enthusiastically began purging all Soviet/Russian institutions throughout Armenia.
Instead of filling this artificially created void with Armenian alternatives, Armenian authorities at the time allowed the political West to take advantage of the situation by saturating Armenia with English language institutions and organizations.
What followed then was a drastic decline in the quality of education in Armenia. Equally detrimental to the Armenian nation was the drastic decline in Russian speakers in Armenia. The English language driven cultural/intellectual degradation that has adversely infected the entire globe during the past several decades also began to take its toll in Armenia. Instrumental in this degradation process was Ashot Beleyan, the a fast-speaking street punk who served as "education minister" under Levon Petrosian during the 1990s.
Thankfully, with the gradual reinstatement of cultural exchange programs with Russia, Armenia has only recently began reversing some of the aforementioned damage. Coming from someone who cannot even put two Russian words together, I believe that the primary second language in Armenia must be Russian. There is no alternative to this. Tertiary languages in Armenia can be English, Turkish, French, Chinese, German and Persian.
Armenia needs more exposure to Russian and European cultures and less exposure to the English-driven Globalist poison it has been bombarded with for the past twenty years.
In final thought, Russophilia may be hindering Armenia... in some manner, although I fail to see how... Russophobia, however, in any degree whatsoever will definitely kill Armenia!
Blind love for everything Western and unbridled Amerophilia will ruin any unsuspecting nation. Bolsheviks have long been retired to the dark pages of history. Soviets are no longer around. What all patriotic Armenians need to be wary of today is Western Globalism which in is fact a modern form of Bolshevism but unlike its Soviet counterpart (which actually preserved the Armenian nation in the Caucasus) Western Globalism will prove deadly for a small vulnerable nation like Armenia. What makes the West more dangerous is that unlike the primitive Bolsheviks of yesteryear which forced their political agenda upon various peoples through violence and intimidation, the sophisticated West achieves its destructive political agenda primarily through soft power - via cultural and economic measures.
The following news articles and press interviews underscores the psychological operations campaign currently being carried out in Armenia by political interests serving the Western alliance and the countermeasures being undertaken by Moscow and the Russian-Armenians. All self-respecting patriotic Armenians need to put aside their Cold War era sentiments and Russophobic paranoias and take close note of this ideological/cultural/political battlefield. This is a battle Armenia can easily lose. This is a battle Armenia cannot afford to lose. If Armenia loses this battle, the very existence of the Armenian state in the Caucasus will be in jeopardy. Armenians need to come to the realization that issues pertaining to Russia are very serious matters for the long-term health and well being of the Armenian homeland.
The primary purpose of this blog is to raise awareness and to serve as a countermeasure. I remain hopeful that Armenia's Russophobes will not succeed in their suicidal plans. I simply want the damage they are currently creating, however, to be as insignificant as possible. Long live Mother Russia. Long live our Hayrenik. Long live the centuries old Russian-Armenian alliance.
Arevordi
October, 2011
***
Russophilia Hinders Us
Haykak, my interlocutors in my recent interviews disbelieve Gallup’s poll results claiming a 5% decline of Russian sentiment in Armenia. But they say Russophilia is deeply rooted. As a historian, could you guide us to the beginning of Russophilia? Is it due to the 70 Soviet years?
In Armenia, Russophilia dates back to the early 18th century when the Armenian national liberation thought gradually faced the Russian empire. It was strengthened in the 19th century as Russia captured East Armenia. The Armenian political thought gradually fell under the influence of the Russian politics. The emergence of the Armenian political parties was mainly the influence of the Russian political parties and movements.
The second layer of Russophilia is deeper and is determined by the period of the Soviet Union. In those notorious 70 years Armenia bore the influence of the Russian empire called the Soviet Union. I think current Russophilia is its consequence because in the late 19th and early 20th century the Armenian people living in the Russian empire were disappointed with the anti-Armenian policy of the Russian government innumerous times. It was not accidental that non-pro-Russian trends emerged in the Armenian political thought. The disappointment with the Russian imperialistic chauvinism was so great that in the early 20th century the Armenian political parties tried to cooperate with the Turkish political parties. One more example. In 1828 East Armenia was annexed by Russia, and after the ensuing Russian-Turkish war most Armenians migrated from Persia and Turkey to East Armenia hoping to get support there but in a few years they got so disappointed with the Russian empire policy and repressions that part of them left back for Turkey and Persia.
The 19th century was marked by Russian advancement toward the Balkans and pan-Slavonism which was a dominant ideology not only in Russia but also in the Slavic nations of Europe who thought they would be saved if Russian empire extended to their region, so the Armenian issue became secondary and marginal to pan-Slavonism. The Russian-Turkish wars of the 19th century had two fronts, Caucasian and Balkan. Every time Russia succeeded on the Caucasian front, it eventually made concessions to gain dividends in the Balkans. It was especially evident after the Russian-Turkish war in 1877-1878, and only in the late 1890s did the Armenian political thought realize that Russia is always ready to ignore the Armenian issue for the sake of its geopolitical interests.
With such experience behind, why is today’s government again facing Russia?
Today’s government with its innumerable roots is tied to and at the same time dependent on Russia. Our government is not only politically and economy dependent on the Russian government but also is facing the problem of reproduction and every time it gets serious support from Moscow. These roots are deep, evidence to which are the debt of 100 million dollars and the notorious project of property for debt which marked another invasion of Armenia by the Russian empire and it gradually came into possession of the greater share of our strategic resources – communication, energy, railway – in the past decade.
In your opinion, does Russia stand a chance of democratic transition and does it set such a goal? What processes are underway now there and here?
Frankly speaking, I have no expectations of democracy or human rights in Russia because it upholds the worst traditions of the same Russian empire and the Soviet Union. There, every democratic wave, every small uprising is cruelly cracked down by the authorities. The Russian imperialism will continue for a long time, the Russian people are used to the whip and believe in the idea of the good king. Even the worst dictator in Russia is perceived as a good ruler, and the surrounding is blamed for everything. The Russian muzhik does not blame the tsar, he blames bad officials surrounding the tsar.
As to Armenia, the situation here is more or less “better” than in Russia because in Russia the opposition has been annihilated and abandoned. Unfortunately, in Russia there is just a handful of opposition led by the chess player Garry Kasparov. The other forces accepted the reality and mainly joined the totalitarian government. Theoretically, of course, it is possible that if a democratic wave rises, changing the situation by miracle, it will affect Armenia. For the time being, however, I think Russia leads Armenia to a democratic deadlock. The deeper Russophilia and Russian sentiment, the slower democratic transition in Armenia will be.
One of our interlocutors says our political forces are the product of the Soviet Union, therefore they bear the influence of the Russian policy. Do you agree?
It is nostalgia for the Soviet Union or just upbringing that people can’t rid of and get a broader view of the world. Russia itself is unaware that the world lives in the 21st century, and the methods with which the country is governed, from economy to external and internal policies, are obsolete. Those political personalities in Armenia who think that we are stuck amid the 90s are badly mistaken, in the world the events succeed each other at such a pace, and such unpredictable vectors emerge, both the government and the opposition of Armenia must be ready to cope with these vectors.
Should we set a goal to rid of Russophilia or say no to the empire and yes to sovereignty?
In fact, I answered this question for me a long time ago. The people who are well-aware of the dangers coming from Russia (although positive waves also come from Russia) must shake off the imperialistic mindset. Actually, I don’t understand the notions “friendship of two nations” and “elder and younger brothers”. People needn’t declare each other friends, as we do with Russians and Georgians (and formerly with Azerbaijan). There are no brothers, in-law, or hostile nations, there are common interests, necessity to coexist in a region, cultural relations and interaction.
What are the positive waves you mentioned?
The culture created within the Russian empire, education, literature, the Russian cultural heritage. When I said positive waves, I meant cultural interrelation and interaction.
Will Turkish-Russian normalization lead to liberation from Russophilia?
As a historian, I will say that the Armenian issue, the Armenian people, Armenian territories were repeatedly sacrificed on the altar of the Russian-Turkish relations. I don’t think a serious politician would not understand this. As to the Russia-Turkey rapprochement, their relations are a cloud in the horizon. Although Turkey is undergoing internal transformation, there are common economic and political interests, and we must keep the Russian-Turkish rapprochement in focus and try to counteract and find alternative solutions. Russia has always tried to keep the Armenian-Turkish relations under control and Russia has a hand in the failure of the Armenian-Turkish protocols. Russia will always keep Armenia’s foreign policies on Turkey and Iran under control.
What causes nostalgia now when the Soviet Union has been unveiled, and everything is clear?
This has two reasons. First, the transition to liberal economy deviated toward a monopolized criminal-oligarchic system. As a result, the majority of the public can’t see the advantages of an economy without monopolies. The Soviet leveled quality of life, almost free from polarization, is still vivid in the memories of the society.
One more observation. The press has recently brought up lustration, declassification of KGB archives. I think it’s a peculiar form of self-clearance, though belated because Eastern Europe and the Baltic states did it earlier at the beginning of their independence, which helped them overcome inhibitions, people who had cooperated with the Soviet Union’s security body were banned from government. In Armenia, it was not done in the 1990s, and it is not done now, but I am sure that declassification of KGB archives will help cleanse the society, as well as uproot Russophilia. However, it is not an end in itself, therefore I think that it must be done only when free elections are held in Armenia, and the society has a genuine participation in government. In Armenia, self-cleansing could be triggered by political forces which will come to government through democratic elections.
Source: http://lragir.am/engsrc/interview23126.html
Armenia Underestimates its Importance For Russia – Armenian expert
Armenia underestimates its importance for Russia and overestimates Russia’s significance for itself, the head of Center for Regional Studies Richard Giragosian said at a press conference on Monday. He stressed that Russian military base in Armenia is the only example of a base in a foreign state, where local authorities pay for its maintenance. “Russia is paying huge sums for placing its base in Kyrgyzstan, for operating the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan, but the utility costs of Russian base in Armenia are covered by local authorities,” said the expert. Asked which security system Armenia should adopt to protect its borders, Giragosian said that the Armenian people were faced with gravest misfortunes when they began to believe in promises of foreign countries, be it Russia, France or the United States. “We need to increase self-confidence, only then we can achieve success,” he said, reminding that victory in Karabakh war was achieved not because of Russia, but contrary to Russia.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/74671.html
Armenia do not have much to celebrate - Richard Giragosian
Armenia do not have much to celebrate about 20 years after independence, Regional Studies Center Director and political analyst Richard Giragosian said during a press conference on Monday, News.am reported. According to Giragosian, today Armenia has emigration, the earthquake aftermath is not eliminated, and the country does not have a stable economic system. "We should not base ourselves on our former success and joy, but rather on the present-day activities of our government and army," Giragosian noted. As shortcomings, Giragosian also emphasized the absence of political reforms and democracy. As per the analyst, corruption is a serious problem in the country, and the Armenian government is unable to find effective mechanisms. Giragosian also expressed astonishment for the presence of a Russian military base in Armenia, saying: "Armenia is one of those unique-if not, the only-countries which has a foreign military base in its territory but receives no payment in return."
Source: http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/armenia/1933847.html
Tricolor Under Russian Boot
In Armenia, the society, and especially the part of the society which is engaged in civil activities, is dissatisfied with the fact that the Russian border troops will march in the military parade dedicated to the 20th anniversary of independence of Armenia under the Russian flag.
In fact, it is something to complain about when the military parade dedicated to the independence of Armenia is concerned. But on the other hand, it is the logical consequence of the circumstances which led to this situation, and if these circumstances are not fought and protested systematically and consistently, they will gradually become more striking and will hurt our national dignity in those who still cherish it.
The point is that year after year, consistently, the independence of Armenia was handed over to Russia, and there did not seem to be serious social opposing, dissatisfaction. Under the silent agreement of the society, the strategic capacities of Armenia, the energy system were handed over to Russia. Armenia gradually fell under the Russian dominance without encountering social protest, political protest goes without saying.
Only recently has it become visible how a considerable part displaying civil activity tries to oppose to the russification, which is, unfortunately, already in the last stage. But again, there is no word about political protest. The so-called main opposition of the country, the Armenian National Congress, obviously avoids the Russian topic, let alone that the Congress leader has hinted in his public speeches about loyalty which hardly differs from the government loyalty.
The other opposition forces which are relatively active, the Heritage Party and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, sometimes do complain, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun even held a piquet in front of the Russian embassy, while some Heritage activists criticize the current status of the Armenian and Russian relations. However, there does not seem to be reason to consider a systemic political struggle.
Armenia does not have a political pole or wing which would come up with a criticism of the Armenian and Russian relationship with a clear and conceptual position, not only accusing the Armenian government but also accusing Russia for shaping destructive economic and political processes and a destructive social and civil environment in Armenia. The key political forces of Armenia do not dare to set clear political demands before Russia, evidence to which is that despite a lot of reasons, no political force of Armenia has officially organized an action in front of the Russian embassy. At best, they were done on behalf of youth organizations.
Meanwhile, the government for which this environment is quite useful, describes every effort of civil groups to brought up the issue of the Armenian-Russian relationship and the destructive role of Russia in the life of Armenia as anti-Russian. In reality, however, it is the same fairy tale as the criticism of the problems of the army and other spheres of life, and having no objective counterargument, the government refers to the theory of bringing grist to the enemy’s mill.
Similarly, an effort is made to interpret any remark against the Russian politics as anti-Russian. Meanwhile, this is a clear example of misinterpretation of notions. Nobody is against the Russian and Armenian relationship. Moreover, nobody is so stupid as to understand that Armenia cannot afford to have a bad relationship with Armenia.
However, good relationship is one thing, and the present Armenian-Russian relationship is another thing. It is not a good relationship, it is either Armenian masochism or Russian rape. In good relations, countries mutually respect each other’s interests. In the case of Armenia and Russia, there is no mutuality, while for Russia the Armenian interest is something which can be used to step on to mount. In other words, the Armenian interest is a stool for the Russian politics which stands on it from time to time to reach the upper shelf.
This is not a good relationship, this is deception. And the problem is not that Armenia must stop relationship with Russia. Armenia must stop deception with Russia and establish a relationship which is worth an independent and sovereign country which knows how to respect its own interests and knows that any country in the world, including Russia, respects those who respect their own interests.
Source: http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23413.html
Paruyrn Hayrikian: Russia Declares Political and Economic War on Armenia
2004
2004
Russia has declared a political and economic war on Armenia, so the Armenian-Russian relations need to be reviewed. Paruyr Hayrikian, Chairman of the "National Self-Determination" Union, made this statement at the October 15 press conference. According to him, the blockade policy against Armenia implemented by Russia now does not differ at all from the continuing blockade by Turkey. Hayrikian believes that thousands of Armenia's citizens are subjected to terrorism in Russia under the pretext of fighting terrorism. "Even morbid Russophiles must confess that Russia demonstrates an undisguised hostile attitude towards Armenia," he noted. According to the Chairman of the "National Self-Determination" Union, this measure taken by Russia is conditioned by the fact that the Armenian nation's potential is starting to manifest itself, and Russia has for centuries implemented the "We need Armenia without Armenians" strategical program.
In Hayeikian's view, Armenia should have given adequate responses to the Russian "audacious challenges": during the first three days the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister and finally President should have tried to settle the antagonism in a friendly way, but then Russia should have received an ultimatum. The Ministry of Finance should have calculated and presented to Russia the material damage caused to Armenia. And finally, the Armenian ambassador to Russia should have been called back, while the Russian ambassador to Armenia should have been asked to "pack his things", and the RA President should have invited the OSCE ambassadors and, after informing them about his intention to freeze the relations with Russia, he should have asked support from their governments. Hayrikian also considers it necessary to publish decrees to start the process of nationalizing the national property provided to Russia in return for debts, as well as to stop the Russian symbolic military presence, etc.
Source: http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/showthread.php?11310-Paruyr-Hayrikian-Russia-Declares-Political-And-Economic-War-On-Arme#.TpWwzez0RfM
Hayrikian Congratulates Sahakashvili "In Connection With Liberating Georgian People From The Last Stronghold of Russian Imperialism"
2006
"I congratulate you and in your person the whole Georgian people in connection with liberating the Georgian people from the last stronghold of the Russian imperialism and making Georgia a base of deserved and human way of life in the region," the address of Chairman of the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikian to Georgian President Mikhail Shahakashvili read this.
According to Hayrikian, Russia has appeared in the Caucasian region as a conqueror and as this country is not democratic it cannot be interested in another purpose. "The withdrawal of the Russian troops from Georgia and especially the exposure of the agent, in essence, spy net, is a historical achievement equal to declaration of independence in Georgia. It is no doubt the representatives of this agent net that at the bidding of the Russian secret services sometimes play the role of provokers hampering the Armenian-Georgian relations," the letter read. Hayrikian gives assurance that these attempts will fail with the efforts of the Georgian people and very soon Georgians in Armenia and Armenians in Georgia will feel themselves at home.
"I shake hands with you as fulfilling the dreams of my companions-in-arms Merab Kostava, Gia Chanturia and others who struggled for the sake of Georgia's independence, you pave the way for liberation and prosperity of not only Georgia but also the region," Paruyr Hayrikian's letter read.
According to Hayrikian, Russia has appeared in the Caucasian region as a conqueror and as this country is not democratic it cannot be interested in another purpose. "The withdrawal of the Russian troops from Georgia and especially the exposure of the agent, in essence, spy net, is a historical achievement equal to declaration of independence in Georgia. It is no doubt the representatives of this agent net that at the bidding of the Russian secret services sometimes play the role of provokers hampering the Armenian-Georgian relations," the letter read. Hayrikian gives assurance that these attempts will fail with the efforts of the Georgian people and very soon Georgians in Armenia and Armenians in Georgia will feel themselves at home.
"I shake hands with you as fulfilling the dreams of my companions-in-arms Merab Kostava, Gia Chanturia and others who struggled for the sake of Georgia's independence, you pave the way for liberation and prosperity of not only Georgia but also the region," Paruyr Hayrikian's letter read.
Source: http://www.nt.am/news.php?p=1&h=1&l=l0&LangID=4
Paruyr Hayrikian Says Pull Russian Troops From Georgia
2006
Paruyr Hayrikian, a prominent Soviet-era Armenian dissident, has written to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to express his delight at the ongoing withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia, describing it as a “historic achievement.” In a letter made public at the weekend, Hayrikian said the troop withdrawal, due to complete by the end of 2008, will “liberate the Georgian people from one of the last pillars of Russian imperialism and turn Georgia into an outpost of dignified and human way of life in the region.”
The process is proceeding in accordance with a Russian-Georgian agreement ratified recently by Georgia’s parliament. The Russian government has reaffirmed its pledge to honor the time frame for the closure of its two military bases located on Georgian territory. Some of their military hardware has already been transferred to Russian troops stationed in Armenia.
“The withdrawal of the Russian bases and especially the uncovering of a [Russian] spy network is a historic achievement comparable to the declaration of Georgia’s independence,” wrote the ex-dissident who had spent 17 years in Soviet labor camps for campaigning for Armenia’s independence. He was apparently referring to the recent arrest of a member of Saakasvhili’s staff who has reportedly pleaded guilty to accusations that he spied for a foreign country, presumably Russia.
Hayrikian, who was a major actor on the Armenian political scene during the 1990s, also said he believes that Russian intelligence services are behind periodical tensions erupting in Georgia’s Armenian-populated Javakheti region. Russia has always acted like a “conqueror” in the South Caucasus but now resembles a “dying dragon,” he charged.
Incidentally, one of the two Russian military bases slated for closure is stationed in the local town of Akhalkalaki and has long served as the impoverished area’s number one employer. Hence, the local population’s strong opposition to its closure. Many Javakheti Armenians also accuse the government in Tbilisi of neglecting the region’s grave socioeconomic problems because of its ethnic composition.
Hayrikian’s description of Russia also hardly reflects the dominant public mood in Armenia whose government will continue to rely on Russian military presence in the foreseeable future. However, the traditionally strong pro-Russian sentiment in the country is believed to have weakened considerably in the last few years due to Moscow’s perceived hard bargain in its economic dealings with Yerevan. President Robert Kocharian acknowledged this fact through a spokesman last January.
A growing number of Armenian mainstream politicians, mainly affiliated with opposition parties, now question the future of their country’s military alliance with Russia and advocate its eventual accession to NATO. Hayrikian’s views on the Russian state are therefore no longer extreme by Armenian standards.
The process is proceeding in accordance with a Russian-Georgian agreement ratified recently by Georgia’s parliament. The Russian government has reaffirmed its pledge to honor the time frame for the closure of its two military bases located on Georgian territory. Some of their military hardware has already been transferred to Russian troops stationed in Armenia.
“The withdrawal of the Russian bases and especially the uncovering of a [Russian] spy network is a historic achievement comparable to the declaration of Georgia’s independence,” wrote the ex-dissident who had spent 17 years in Soviet labor camps for campaigning for Armenia’s independence. He was apparently referring to the recent arrest of a member of Saakasvhili’s staff who has reportedly pleaded guilty to accusations that he spied for a foreign country, presumably Russia.
Hayrikian, who was a major actor on the Armenian political scene during the 1990s, also said he believes that Russian intelligence services are behind periodical tensions erupting in Georgia’s Armenian-populated Javakheti region. Russia has always acted like a “conqueror” in the South Caucasus but now resembles a “dying dragon,” he charged.
Incidentally, one of the two Russian military bases slated for closure is stationed in the local town of Akhalkalaki and has long served as the impoverished area’s number one employer. Hence, the local population’s strong opposition to its closure. Many Javakheti Armenians also accuse the government in Tbilisi of neglecting the region’s grave socioeconomic problems because of its ethnic composition.
Hayrikian’s description of Russia also hardly reflects the dominant public mood in Armenia whose government will continue to rely on Russian military presence in the foreseeable future. However, the traditionally strong pro-Russian sentiment in the country is believed to have weakened considerably in the last few years due to Moscow’s perceived hard bargain in its economic dealings with Yerevan. President Robert Kocharian acknowledged this fact through a spokesman last January.
A growing number of Armenian mainstream politicians, mainly affiliated with opposition parties, now question the future of their country’s military alliance with Russia and advocate its eventual accession to NATO. Hayrikian’s views on the Russian state are therefore no longer extreme by Armenian standards.
Source: http://www.armenianancestry.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=141
Paruyr Hayrikian: "We Should Perceive Georgia as Our Country"
2006
"We should carry on more open policy with Georgians and perceive the whole Georgia as our country, also being ready to give Armenia to Georgians as their country. This is the right way of Armenian-Georgian relations," Paruyr Hayrikian, Chairman of the National Self-Determination Union, expressed such an opinion in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent. According to him, this idea should be put into practice at the state level by taking almost imperceptible but essential steps. In his opinion, there are serious possibilities for making Armenian-Georgian relations closer, in consideration of the age-old friendship between the two peoples, in particular, the Golden Age, the 12-13th centuries. P.Hayrikian considers that Armenia should show exclusive attitude towards the Georgian Armenians and, particularly, towards the Armenians of Javakhk. According to him, the residents of Javakhk who will display willingness to become RA citizens should be given this opportunity.
Source: http://www.ancestralstones.com/JAV70.htm
Armenians Are Braggarts
Any solution for Karabakh conflict which will highlight Artsakh people’s right for self-determination is better than this unjustified military situation, particularly given that Armenia weakens its positions every day, said the chairman of the Union for Armenian Self-Determination Paruyr Hayrikyan. “We have always been braggarts. We consider our freedom-fight movement a victory but that is bragging. There are national heroes who fled the country but are still worshiped as national heroes, that’s bragging too. The reality is Armenians have no equals in bragging,” said Hayrikyan. “Any solution of Karabakh conflict, which will not ignore the rights of Artsakh people, is better than today’s so called victory.” Touching upon forthcoming elections in Armenia, he said that he must participate in the elections, if he deems himself politician.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/65448.html
I’m Happy that Levon Ter-Petrossian is Learning, Growing: Paruyr Hayrikyan
When you hear that two Armenian politicians are flirting with one another, you have to be happy; more so if this flirting is dignified, said Union for Self-Determination party leader Paruyr Hayrikyan and Heritage Party vice-chair Ruben Hakobyan, completing each other’s sentence at a press conference in Yerevan today. Hakobyan considered recent developments between the opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (HAK) and the Sargsyan administration to be positive.
“I welcome any dialogue, if there’s any political entity, it is engaged in politics, then it shouldn’t exclude [the option of] any [type of] dialogue, this is an axiomatic issue. And the direction that HAK is moving in was going to take [us] to a dead-end and it’s possible that another March 1 would repeat itself. However, HAK radically changed its position,” he said. On the other hand, Hakobyan continued, there’s great pressure on the Armenian authorities from European countries and the Sargsyan administration couldn’t not accept the hand that the opposition extended. “I clearly see the mediation of European agencies, which somewhat promises a normal flow to the process.”
Hayrikyan billed HAK and its leader Levon Ter-Petrossian as a non-radical opposition group since, according to him, they don’t have a radical program. As for the programs put forth by HAK, Hayrikyan called them “some cosmetic things.”
“I don’t forget that the first time the word ‘bandit state’ Levon Ter-Petrossian heard used against him, when he was on the same team with [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan. But it’s good that he’s learning some things; I’m happy that he’s growing, he’s becoming competent; that time when Levon and his friends entered the arena, I understood that they’re ignorant, but if there’s growth now, I’m happy, my fellow compatriots are growing,” he said.
The Union for Self-Determination party leader was not interested in what HAK and the Sargsyan administration are doing, which he put this way: “They’ve been together once before, what did that give our nation: Levon was president and Serzh Sargsyan was the security minister.”
Source: http://www.epress.am/en/2011/04/28/im-happy-that-levon-ter-petrossian-is-learning-growing-paruyr-hayrikyan.html
Armenian Politician Urges Political Forces to Unite
Leader of Union for National Self-Determination Paruyr Hayrikyan called on all political forces to form a united bloc to take part in impending either regular or snap parliamentary elections. Hayrikyan explained his proposal by lack of democracy in Armenia. “If the political forces fail to follow our advice, we will make moves by ourselves,” he told reporters in Yerevan on Wednesday. He stressed they will wait for the answer till September 20. The politician stressed they appealed to the oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC). However, the ANC did not respond, proving democracy is not essential for them, added Hayrikyan.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/70597.html
Paruyr Hayrikyan: Russia dislikes me as I said Moscow organized Sumgait events
Political tension is arising in Armenia in the run up to the parliamentary elections, APA reports. Advisor to the Armenian Prime Minister, the member of the Republican Party of Armenia Razmik Zohrabyan called the leader of Union for self-determination Paruyr Hayrikyan a US spy. Zohrabyan also stated that former USSR- KGB high-rank officer General Kalugin said that the leader of the party collaborated with US intelligence. Hayrikyan said that the opinions of a member of Republican Party chaired by Serj Sarkisian are not new for him. “Because everyone in Armenia knows who works for which country, who turned our country to the forepost of Russia.
The new leader of the Party Robert Kocharyan came to power by the support of Russia, as the former leader”, he said. To Hayrikyan, Russia does not receive him as he said that Moscow committed the Sumgayit events of 1988, Armenia’s independence is under Russia’s control, Armenians will be able to live freely in Georgia after withdrawal of Russian bases. Hayrikyan drew attention to the explosion at the headquarters of Gagik Charukyan’s “Prosperous Armenia” party and said it was not by accident. Charukyan’s mother Roza Charukyan in an interview to “Jamanak Yerevan” newspaper accused Sarkisyan of gambling and seizing the power.
Source: http://www.apa.az/en/news.php?id=24854
Source: http://www.apa.az/en/news.php?id=24854
Paruir Hayrikyan: "The problem of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia is a contempt for democracy"
The leader of the National Self-Determination Union, Paruir Hayrikyan talks about his formula for democratic states, conflicts and Russian influence in the South Caucasus in an exclusive interview given to newcaucasus.com. "Our conflicts are often infringed from outside ... initiators of the conflict pursue other goals - on the one hand, they talk about the peoples' right to self-determination, on the other - they destroy people who utter this very word," - he said. According to Hayrikyan, the region needs to get rid of foreign influence. As an example, he cites the following fact: "In Armenia, the security officer day is celebrated as a national holiday - the day of the national security of Armenia ..."
- You claim that you have derived a formula by which it will be possible to raise the level of democracy in different countries ...
- I have derived a formula to ensure that democracy was introduced in the figures, as often while describing a democratic situation in a country, a subjective approach is taken. When democracy is expressed arithmetically, there are only numbers to be compared. The formula was devised as a standard for measuring the level of democracy, but the same formula helps to find better forms, to reach a better level of democracy. The formula from the very beginning was based on human rights and, in particular, on the right of a citizen to be an equal participant in the democratic process. Everyone wants not just to be a participant at the election, but feel that he is an important unit of the social and political life.
No votes in favor of any candidate should be left out of the process of country's government because of imperfections in the parliamentary system. In a parliament each deputy has to vote in accordance with votes he has obtained (including the ones transferred from the losing candidates), that is, in each of the parliamentary voting as many votes as the electorate which participated in the elections should be involved. Thus, a parliamentary voting becomes more similar to a referendum on the issue put to a vote, but, unlike a referendum, in matters requiring a professional approach, not the citizens are
responsible, but confined deputies.
Once we gave a rough diagram of the state structure. This formula reflects upon all branches of the government - executive, legislative and judicial. By combining individual requirements of all major ranches of government and summarizing them in one formula, we, first of all, have obtained a result according to which we can judge the level of democracy. Secondly, we can understand where, in what sphere and what exactly hinders the development of democracy in our country. Locke and Montesquieu were talking about power separation, not for its own sake, but so that citizens could make use of the results of the struggle between different branches of government. In order to make the citizen more secure. For some reason, politicians mostly ignore these lessons and are mostly guided by their own benefit - in way which makes the government more comfortable and easier. Therefore they introduce limitations on representativeness of the parliament and rights of citizens. The people is proclaimed the supreme source of power, but often when it is actually possible to give a direct power to the people politicians are handling through the parliament, calling it a parliamentary republic. In short, this formula aims at returning people to the real incites of the democratic state, the actual separation of powers, improvement of a democratic system in their own state. Of course, the formula is not an absolute truth, but it could become one of the standards. Regardless of whether you are using a yard or meter, you are using different standards of metric measurements.
One can also pay attention to the fact that those who ignore democratic principles tend to argue that they "own democracy." But when you consider that democracy is based on human rights, on equality of citizens, which is the supreme principle, the idea of national democracies shall not be speculated about. I am a politician myself, and I understand that politicians do not like to talk about it and I understand why. I think one of the biggest drawbacks is that it is allowed to talk to people about "own democracy." Let's look at specific examples: the British and Dutch systems of democracy. They differ from each other. A culture of tolerance, respect for human rights culture is at such a high level, that the sustainability of one of these democracies, particularly British one, is not clear at first. The most important thing is to understand that democracy is based on human rights and that any democratic system must first of all be able to ensure equality of all the citizens, not only on election days, but during the entire period between elections, during the entire process of democratic institutions. In two words, the formula is apt at measuring the level of democracy in a state and with its help go back to the forgotten principles found in the works of Montesquieu.
- What is the level of democracy in South Caucasian countries, as measured by your formula?
- With this formula it is very easy to measure the level in various states. I have created the formula, but I haven't taken the liberty to measure the level of democracy. American experts have conducted their measurements, which showed that we have a deplorable situation. Georgia, until recent changes to the Constitution was, at least according to this formula, a democracy of larger scale as compared to the state of democracy in Georgia after the changes, since the executive branch used to be elected directly by the people. Today, after constitutional changes based on some unidentifiable European models, Georgia, which could have been an example for Azerbaijan and Armenia, is backwards. With regard to Armenia and Azerbaijan, democracy is not the highest value for Azerbaijani and Armenian politicians.
They may occasionally rant about this, but I see that democracy in Armenia is just a meaningless word. The essence of this concept is of no interest to anyone and there is no desire to turn Armenia into a democratic state. The same thing is happening in Azerbaijan, which perfectly uses the Karabakh conflict, forced on us back in the 20s of the last century, which back then was stirred up also by Mikhail Gorbachev. By the way, conflicts are often used to justify the shortcomings of existing democratic systems.
- In Armenia parliamentary elections will take place in 2012. Will your party participate in them?
- We have not yet decided. We did not participate in the last so-called elections because it was clear beforehand that there would be no elections. A massive purchase and bribing of votes was undertaken in an open and upfront fashion. A variety of governmental agencies were used in order to introduce as many civil servants as possible in the so-called "Republican Party". Neither I nor any of my colleagues saw any sense in participating in elections in such format. 2012 is unlikely to host elections in Armenia in the true sense of the word, but we are ready to turn this process into an action. We have already applied for the elections and urged other political forces to join us. We are ready to achieve a parliamentary majority with joint forces and then pass a law on a full-fledged democracy, to amend the Constitution in order to increase the frequency of elections, and then dissolve the parliament and hold real elections. This is our program and we are ready to unite with other political forces or start a new movement on the civil level. Thus, there are two options - either to unite parties, or to start a civil movement to democratize Armenia.
We consider these elections as the first step towards democratization of Armenia and as soon as constitutional changes are introduced, we will simultaneously hold a referendum on constitutional reforms and will adopt a new election law. In the new parliamentary system, not a single vote of a citizen who took part in the elections will be lost. All the votes will reach the parliament and all the votes will be taken into account at every parliamentary voting. Next elections will be held according to the new system, and if our idea will be supported, Armenia will have no head. Constitution will become the head of state; there will be executive authorities elected for a maximum of three years, an elected parliament, either by proportion or by majority, but with multiple members, not to lose any vote.
The parliament will also be elected for a maximum of three years, preferably for two years. The institute of jury and constitutional judges will be restored, and the judges of the second echelon will also be elected. These changes will make Armenia a democratic state and citizens will feel themselves the masters of their country, not the tool in the hands of politicians. In this case, we will participate in the elections, otherwise it makes no sense to fight against windmills. I understand that I have managed to make Armenia a multi-party country. Previously Armenia had communists and our party. The parties Dashnaktsutun and Republican Party were revived in Armenia on the basis of our movement, and before them - the National Self-Determination party, and even before that - The National United Party. But that time has already passed, children were born and now we have to work with them. But if children fell under the influence of the KGB, it is the biggest problem ... Our political system should be free from the secret system, first of all - from the KGB.
In your opinion, what will it give to the country?
- Many experts believe that the development of post-Soviet countries is largely connected precisely with this problem. Countries that got rid of the KGB agents, like the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe, today are in a very different political, moral and psychological condition than those that are still under the influence of the KGB agents, sometimes even in the open ... As an example, I want to note that the security officer day in Armenia is celebrated as a national holiday - the day of the national security of Armenia. It is not even only shameful, but also frustrating for most of its citizens. How is it possible that Armenia, which had 94 percent of votes against Bolshevism, today celebrates the national security day!? There is coincidence, it is a policy of demoralization. You said once that it would be much easier to overcome the Soviet syndrome after the collapse of the USSR not individually but altogether, as did the Baltic countries. Do you think there is a prospect of unification of the South Caucasus?
On January 12, 1988 leaders of Ukrainian, Georgian and Armenian national democratic dissident movements gathered in Armenia. Out of 9 members, five were from Armenia, two from Georgia and two - from Ukraine. Three of the nine later became national heroes in their countries. This is an exceptional case in the history of mankind, when representatives of various nations of an empire gathered, made a decision and later became national heroes in their countries. Our hero became Movses Gorgisyan, in Georgia it was Merab Kostava, in Ukraine - Vyacheslav Chornovil. That is, at first, when we only started to meet, representatives of the Baltic States were yet not with us. There were meetings in Lviv, Tbilisi, and later in Vilnius we were joined by representatives of other nationalities.
- Many experts believe that the development of post-Soviet countries is largely connected precisely with this problem. Countries that got rid of the KGB agents, like the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe, today are in a very different political, moral and psychological condition than those that are still under the influence of the KGB agents, sometimes even in the open ... As an example, I want to note that the security officer day in Armenia is celebrated as a national holiday - the day of the national security of Armenia. It is not even only shameful, but also frustrating for most of its citizens. How is it possible that Armenia, which had 94 percent of votes against Bolshevism, today celebrates the national security day!? There is coincidence, it is a policy of demoralization. You said once that it would be much easier to overcome the Soviet syndrome after the collapse of the USSR not individually but altogether, as did the Baltic countries. Do you think there is a prospect of unification of the South Caucasus?
On January 12, 1988 leaders of Ukrainian, Georgian and Armenian national democratic dissident movements gathered in Armenia. Out of 9 members, five were from Armenia, two from Georgia and two - from Ukraine. Three of the nine later became national heroes in their countries. This is an exceptional case in the history of mankind, when representatives of various nations of an empire gathered, made a decision and later became national heroes in their countries. Our hero became Movses Gorgisyan, in Georgia it was Merab Kostava, in Ukraine - Vyacheslav Chornovil. That is, at first, when we only started to meet, representatives of the Baltic States were yet not with us. There were meetings in Lviv, Tbilisi, and later in Vilnius we were joined by representatives of other nationalities.
We began working together. At the Prague conference, we were joined by Azerbaijanis - Tofig Gasimov and the chairman of the Socialist Party, Araz Alizadeh. The Prague Conference was morally patronized by Vaclav Havel. At the conference I was re-elected president of the Coordination Center. Incidentally, the Center was founded in Paris and it was founded, though it sounds immodest - by Armenians, Georgians and Ukrainians. Later we were joined by representatives of other nations. The Centre brought together all the peoples and for many it was surprising to see Armenians and Azerbaijanis together. By the way, at the Prague conference the future Azerbaijani foreign minister Tawfiq Gasimov and future president of Armenia Robert Kocharian discussed together common challenges and adopted a joint resolution. When you struggle for the independence of your people, everything is obvious and clearly defined.
We are not independent, we are not subjects of international law and we want to achieve it. Now the situation is slightly complicated by the fact that you are a subject of international law, but your power is often under the direct influence of another country. In international practice, there is no practice of transferring national property to another state for a national debt. This was organized in Armenia by authorities, Russian chauvinists, businessmen, the oligarchs. This was an impossible deal! I know that the International Monetary Fund was astonished by this information. A normal government will not allow such a disgraceful move. How can a national debt be transferred in the sum of $ 100 million which is the equivalent of 10-15 debts! Especially taking in consideration the catastrophic economic situation in Armenia.
The main problem in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia is the disregard for democratic principles. That's why I have been advertising the formula in the last three or four years, hoping that we will agree on some solution, not even necessarily on the change of destruction. At first, we could become allies at the level of political parties and public organizations, as it is not even a political issue, and automatically become allies on issues regarding a huge range of problems. That is, if we have a conflict situation and we do not look at it from a political point of view, but only from a legal point of view, it is much easier to find a solution to the conflict. A democratic government which truly represents its people, will achieve an understanding with other peoples in a much easier way. Today when we have a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan the South Caucasus, we cannot talk about a full cooperation in the format of the region. Nowadays those who talk about our inescapable lot to live next door to each other and live in peace are almost declared traitors.
The main problem in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia is the disregard for democratic principles. That's why I have been advertising the formula in the last three or four years, hoping that we will agree on some solution, not even necessarily on the change of destruction. At first, we could become allies at the level of political parties and public organizations, as it is not even a political issue, and automatically become allies on issues regarding a huge range of problems. That is, if we have a conflict situation and we do not look at it from a political point of view, but only from a legal point of view, it is much easier to find a solution to the conflict. A democratic government which truly represents its people, will achieve an understanding with other peoples in a much easier way. Today when we have a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan the South Caucasus, we cannot talk about a full cooperation in the format of the region. Nowadays those who talk about our inescapable lot to live next door to each other and live in peace are almost declared traitors.
The purpose of my formula is not to minimize the tension in the conflict zones, but indirectly it would lead to its resolution. If Azerbaijan realizes that the original objective is to turn its citizens into full-fledged owners of the country, that the primary task of Armenian politicians and public figures is not to help Paruir Hayrikyan, Serge Sargsyan, or Levon Ter-Petrosyan to become masters of Armenia but to make the people masters of the country which is feasible with the help of this formula, then other questions will be easier to solve. Why is it difficult to solve common problems? Today we have no general principles, we are talking about different values, different approaches. When we have common values, when the value of an individual is above all else, we can say that we live in the same space, which is common to all. The attitudes towards conflicts will change as well. In order to overcome antagonisms, it is necessary to have common values, which are human rights.
When in the 80s we started to act in open, created an official opposition party - Association of the National Self-Determination, there was a Committee on Defense of Political Prisoners in Georgia. During our meetings we discussed XII-XIII centuries, when there was no independent Armenian state, but there was a general Armenian-Georgian state, what is considered time silver age of Armenian culture and the golden age of Georgian culture. We talked about what we should strive for in order to create a federal Armenian-Georgian state. Merab Kostava and I were guided by the fact that this historical experience has already taken place it paid off. Unfortunately, my deportation to Ethiopia happened later and Kostava was killed, so we failed to develop this idea. Unfortunately, our enemies could then ignite the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, but I am very happy for the Armenian-Georgian relations, despite the fact that due to objective circumstances Georgia has often been frustrated by Armenia, I am talking about close Armenian-Russian relations; in Georgia there is no intolerance. The same thing is happening in Armenia. I am pleased that the Armenian-Georgian relations are not at the mercy of international provocateurs.
- Have you suggested the formula to other countries?
- I offered it to the Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia. He told me that it would be nice to pass the formula to the Georgian opposition in order for them to pass it in their turn to the Georgian authorities. Then I sent an e-mail with the formula to Georgian presidential staff members. By the way, some US congressmen and academia representatives have expressed their interest in the formula. The formula managed to intrigue even Iran. Conflicts in the South Caucasus seriously hamper the development of all our countries. In your view, is there a solution to these conflicts which will be acceptable to all parties, or are those conflicts a Gordian knot? The world has seen many conflicts which remained in the past. At the same time, new conflicts appear. The best way is to create a situation where conflicting countries would have the same system of values. In this case, the risk of conflicts will be minimal. Some conflicts are fueled especially for political reasons. If peoples are guided by similar values that are enshrined in constitutions, then solutions will be found easier.
Although I was surprised to learn that Georgia intends to change the number of deputies, as it was announced that the referendum was held not on the whole territory of the country which is considered a ground for the invalidity of results. According to this logic, the parliament is not parliament and the president is not a president ... The constitution must be sacred. External conflicts often begin because in their own country people do not treat their constitution, nor human rights with due respect. Unscrupulousness leads to lawlessness. Our conflicts are often infringed from outside, but they are infringed exactly because initiators of the conflict pursue other goals - on the one hand, they talk about the peoples' right to self-determination, on the other - they destroy people who utter this very word. The European Union for us represents an exemplary reconciliation of contradictions. When people say, Armenians, realize that they are representatives and citizens not only of Armenia, but also of the whole world and the attitude towards the value system will change and the same will happen in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and desirably as soon as possible in Russia , then many problems which result in conflicts will automatically disappear.
I did not invent anything new with my formula; I just brought to the logical end the idea of equality of citizens. We have the example, experience of the European Union and we have to adhere to the principles of equality even more than the Europeans themselves. When we talk about freedom, we must remember that we need a freedom from external pressure and external provocations. For example, when Armenians talk about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, they remember the protection of Russia. I believe that the conflict must be resolved either under the auspices of the international community, or without any patronization at all, and surely not under the auspices of Russian, American or Turkish influences.
When in the 80s we started to act in open, created an official opposition party - Association of the National Self-Determination, there was a Committee on Defense of Political Prisoners in Georgia. During our meetings we discussed XII-XIII centuries, when there was no independent Armenian state, but there was a general Armenian-Georgian state, what is considered time silver age of Armenian culture and the golden age of Georgian culture. We talked about what we should strive for in order to create a federal Armenian-Georgian state. Merab Kostava and I were guided by the fact that this historical experience has already taken place it paid off. Unfortunately, my deportation to Ethiopia happened later and Kostava was killed, so we failed to develop this idea. Unfortunately, our enemies could then ignite the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, but I am very happy for the Armenian-Georgian relations, despite the fact that due to objective circumstances Georgia has often been frustrated by Armenia, I am talking about close Armenian-Russian relations; in Georgia there is no intolerance. The same thing is happening in Armenia. I am pleased that the Armenian-Georgian relations are not at the mercy of international provocateurs.
- Have you suggested the formula to other countries?
- I offered it to the Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia. He told me that it would be nice to pass the formula to the Georgian opposition in order for them to pass it in their turn to the Georgian authorities. Then I sent an e-mail with the formula to Georgian presidential staff members. By the way, some US congressmen and academia representatives have expressed their interest in the formula. The formula managed to intrigue even Iran. Conflicts in the South Caucasus seriously hamper the development of all our countries. In your view, is there a solution to these conflicts which will be acceptable to all parties, or are those conflicts a Gordian knot? The world has seen many conflicts which remained in the past. At the same time, new conflicts appear. The best way is to create a situation where conflicting countries would have the same system of values. In this case, the risk of conflicts will be minimal. Some conflicts are fueled especially for political reasons. If peoples are guided by similar values that are enshrined in constitutions, then solutions will be found easier.
Although I was surprised to learn that Georgia intends to change the number of deputies, as it was announced that the referendum was held not on the whole territory of the country which is considered a ground for the invalidity of results. According to this logic, the parliament is not parliament and the president is not a president ... The constitution must be sacred. External conflicts often begin because in their own country people do not treat their constitution, nor human rights with due respect. Unscrupulousness leads to lawlessness. Our conflicts are often infringed from outside, but they are infringed exactly because initiators of the conflict pursue other goals - on the one hand, they talk about the peoples' right to self-determination, on the other - they destroy people who utter this very word. The European Union for us represents an exemplary reconciliation of contradictions. When people say, Armenians, realize that they are representatives and citizens not only of Armenia, but also of the whole world and the attitude towards the value system will change and the same will happen in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and desirably as soon as possible in Russia , then many problems which result in conflicts will automatically disappear.
I did not invent anything new with my formula; I just brought to the logical end the idea of equality of citizens. We have the example, experience of the European Union and we have to adhere to the principles of equality even more than the Europeans themselves. When we talk about freedom, we must remember that we need a freedom from external pressure and external provocations. For example, when Armenians talk about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, they remember the protection of Russia. I believe that the conflict must be resolved either under the auspices of the international community, or without any patronization at all, and surely not under the auspices of Russian, American or Turkish influences.
Source: http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/17333.html
Lragir: Sargsyan Pleases Putin
October 7 is Vladimir Putin’s birthday. He is 59. Serzh Sargsyan congratulated Putin on this occasion. His congratulatory message is fantastic because of its interesting content. The fantastic thing is that usually a president congratulates a president, a prime minister congratulates a prime minister, according to the principle of equal “subordination”. Meanwhile in this case the president congratulates the prime minister. In personal relations, there is no issue. Maybe Serzh Sargsyan just wanted to congratulate Putin personally. But in this case, he should not issue one officially, he should have delivered it through personal cables.
But the President of Armenia officially congratulates the Prime Minister of Russia. This is not a tragedy, of course, but this is an issue. The last conference of the Yedinaya Rossia party evidenced that in reality Putin is already and again the President of Russia but he is still the de jure Prime Minister, while the states and their first figures are a legal category. Consequently, maybe for subordination dignity, it would be better not to congratulate him at the level of the President.
Two circumstances may have pushed Sargsyan to take this step. The first is perhaps the one that Putin has appeared in the psychological trap of the causal and consequential connection of the Putin-Kocharyan possible return, or under the psychological pressure and so he is now trying to do everything not to arouse Putin’s suspicion proving that he is attentive and committed. “I can note with satisfaction that we have always been focused on the issues relating to the Armenian–Russian strategic cooperation,” said Serzh Sargsyan in his letter, which means that “I have always felt your glance and did everything under your supervision.”
The stress on personal relations is not less noteworthy: “I highly appreciate the personal trustworthy and close relations between us, which, no doubt, promote the further fulfillment of our bilateral plans”. Serzh Sargsyan is thereby trying to emphasize that there is a warm relationship with Putin because in the Armenian political sets “personal relationships” are valued particularly highly. Sargsyan is trying to dispel the deep-seated belief that Kocharyan has much “more friendly” relationship with Putin than himself.
The second motive of the congratulatory message could be the visit to Yerevan of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who made a statement in Armenia that can be perceived as an “encroachment” on Russia’s interests in the energy sector of Armenia. He said that his country would help Armenia develop alternative energy sources. And alternative energy in Armenia may be an alternative to the Russian presence only because the entire energy network in Armenia is run by the Russians.
If we add to this the fact that Sarkozy urged the EU countries to display interest in the energy sector of Armenia, and Armenia to take into account the initiatives of the European pipeline bypassing Russia, it becomes clear what an unpleasant day October 7 was for Russia. Perhaps this is the reason why Serzh Sargsyan forgot about subordination and congratulated Putin’s birthday in order to disperse the unpleasant impression from Sarkozy’s visit.
Source: http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23675.html
Russia called to stop authorities-opposition dialogue in Armenia
The dialogue between oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC) and authorities was in an ideal stage, former member of the Karabakh committee Ashot Manucharyan told at a press conference on Monday. “The dialogue was stopped. The ANC has no time or opportunities. It is either to head national uprising or to leave the politics. Apparently it will choose the first, despite many supporters lost belief in ANC. No matter in case, ANC starts national uprising again many people will gather and even those who lost belief will again join the ANC,” Manucharyan said.
In response to the question that U.S. was the initiator of the dialogue between ANC and authorities, Manucharyan stated that Russia was the one to stop the dialogue. It is based on the fact that there is an implicit agreement between the U.S. and Russia. According to it, Russia still leads post Soviet Union states. Russia took the start of the dialogue as infringement of its rights and diminution of its influence. Thus, it insisted on stopping it.
The expert believes that the demand for the ANC activist Tigran Arakelyan to change the measure of restraint could not have served to suspend the dialogue. Actually negotiations were run on how to overcome the crisis. ANC demands snap elections and reestablishment of the authority, which will lead to a new political situation. Armenian authorities do not agree to change anything, reminds politician.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/73062.html
Global Poll Finds Strong Pro-Russian Sentiment In Armenia
Three in four people in Armenia approve of the track record of Russia's current leadership, making it the fifth-most pro-Russian country in the world, according to a recent Gallup opinion poll. The poll -- conducted by Gallup in 104 countries last year -- shows that only 7 percent of Armenians are critical of the Kremlin's leadership, with another 17 percent being undecided. The remaining 75 percent positively assess policies pursued by President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the U.S. pollster said.
The poll showed that Moscow enjoys higher approval ratings in only four other countries surveyed: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, and Uzbekistan. The findings of the survey are in tune with strong pro-Russian sentiment that has traditionally existed in Armenia. Despite increasingly favoring closer ties with the West, many Armenians continue to regard Russia as a guarantor of their country's security. The unresolved conflict over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh and historically strained relations with neighboring Turkey are seen as key reasons for that.
The Gallup poll also found strong pro-Russian sympathies in much of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia's arch-foe Azerbaijan, where 54 percent of respondents thought well of the performance by Putin and Medvedev. "Russia's sphere of influence continues to be most visible in former Soviet countries, where people are most likely to be familiar with the Kremlin's leadership and a median of 61 percent said they approved," the pollster said in an explanatory note.
Georgia is a rare exception to this rule due to Russian forces' occupation of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. As much as 76 percent of those polled in Georgia disapproved of the Kremlin's leadership. "The popularity that Russia's leadership enjoys in several countries in Central Asia and in the Caucasus has its roots in their shared history as former Soviet republics," said Gallup. "But the high approval also reflects how dependent many residents of these counties are on remittances from Russia." "In Tajikistan, where approval of Russia's leadership is the highest, the International Monetary Fund estimates that these remittances accounted for 50 percent of the country's GDP in 2008," it added.
In Armenia, remittances made up some 13 percent of the country's GDP last year. Government data shows that around 80 percent of the 2010 cash remittances totaling at least $1.3 billion came from Russia, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Armenian migrant workers. There are also hundreds of thousands of Tajik, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz citizens working in Russia.
The poll showed that Moscow enjoys higher approval ratings in only four other countries surveyed: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, and Uzbekistan. The findings of the survey are in tune with strong pro-Russian sentiment that has traditionally existed in Armenia. Despite increasingly favoring closer ties with the West, many Armenians continue to regard Russia as a guarantor of their country's security. The unresolved conflict over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh and historically strained relations with neighboring Turkey are seen as key reasons for that.
The Gallup poll also found strong pro-Russian sympathies in much of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia's arch-foe Azerbaijan, where 54 percent of respondents thought well of the performance by Putin and Medvedev. "Russia's sphere of influence continues to be most visible in former Soviet countries, where people are most likely to be familiar with the Kremlin's leadership and a median of 61 percent said they approved," the pollster said in an explanatory note.
Georgia is a rare exception to this rule due to Russian forces' occupation of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. As much as 76 percent of those polled in Georgia disapproved of the Kremlin's leadership. "The popularity that Russia's leadership enjoys in several countries in Central Asia and in the Caucasus has its roots in their shared history as former Soviet republics," said Gallup. "But the high approval also reflects how dependent many residents of these counties are on remittances from Russia." "In Tajikistan, where approval of Russia's leadership is the highest, the International Monetary Fund estimates that these remittances accounted for 50 percent of the country's GDP in 2008," it added.
In Armenia, remittances made up some 13 percent of the country's GDP last year. Government data shows that around 80 percent of the 2010 cash remittances totaling at least $1.3 billion came from Russia, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Armenian migrant workers. There are also hundreds of thousands of Tajik, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz citizens working in Russia.
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pro_russia_sentiment_in_armenia/24291052.html
Putin: Armenia-Russia ties aim to provide stability in South Caucasus
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed a congratulatory message to his Armenian counterpart Tigran Sargsyan on occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. “Armenia-Russia relations, based on centuries-old traditions of friendship are progressing, with a number of achievements noted in trade, economy, investment, science and cultural sectors. The countries are constructively interacting in the framework of CIS, CSTO and many other formats to provide stability and safety in South Caucasus region. I wish welfare and prosperity to Armenian people,” the Russian PM said.
Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/78723/
Existence of United Army Group within interests of Armenia - President
Armenian and Russian nations are united historically, spiritually, socially and economically, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in the interview with “CSTO Allies” journal. “Collaboration between Armenia and Russia has reached to a strategic partnership, and cooperation within CSTO strengthened relations developing dynamically. CSTO influenced positively on the military capability of Armenia and contributed to the realization of security in the region,” the President stated. According to Sargsyan, the existence of the United Army Group based on Armenian and Russian Armed Forces in the territory of Armenia is within the interests of Armenia and serves for the base of ensuring regional security. Russian military base N102 is included in the group. Its status is determined by an interstate treaty. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a protocol during his last year visit to Armenia and prolonged the term of Russian military base in Armenia for another 49 years. The document states that Russian Armed Forces will provide modern and compatible weapons and military equipments, Sargsyan added.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/77997.html
Putin’s return to authority positive for Armenia - Russian MP
If Vladimir Putin returns to authority, Russian politics on Karabakh conflict settlement will be closer to reality and more pragmatic, Russian MP, director of the Institute of CIS states Konstantin Zatulin told Armenian News-NEWS.am. According to him, Russian current President Dmirti Medvedev has such people around him who act for the relations with Azerbaijan. “If we compare Russian politicians’ visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan, then Baku apparently is ahead,” Zatulin stated and added that when Putin comes to power the former status-quo will be resumed.
The politician does not believe that Medvedev is to blame for the failure in the talks on Karabakh conflict settlement. Meantime his advisors have not provided with the correct description of the situation. They were sure for the sides to become closer, while it did take place and the contrary happened. Putin’s reign does not mean a sooner settlement of the conflict, but it will have a positive impact on the settlement, Zatulin stated. The recent congress of the United Russia Party suggested that Vladimir Putin ran for presidential elections and in case victory appoint current president Medvedev a PM.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/75566.html
Memorial Plaques to be Inaugurated at Hill of Honor
The Hill of Honor in the city of Gyumri will host inauguration ceremony of memorial plaques on September 1, 2011. The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vaycheslav Kovalenko, Governor of Shirak province A. Giziryan, Mayor of Gyumri V. Ghukasyan, co-chairmen of the “Matter of Honor" Russian-Armenian benevolent organization V. Krivopuskov and A. Nikoghosyan, Russian entrepreneurs doing business in Armenia. The Hill of Honor is a military cemetery of Russian officers who perished in the Russian-Turkish wars of XIX century. It was founded in 1855. The cemetery was destroyed in the mid-20th century. The renovation of the Hill of Honor started in 2009 on the initiative of the Russian Ambassador. The Hill of Honor was inaugurated on August 20, 2010 by the Presidents of Armenia and Russia Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the Russian President’s state visit to Armenia.
Source: http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2011/08/31/scutcheon-memorial/
Russia Widely Viewed as Extremely Important For Armenia
Perceptions of Russia among Armenians are exceptionally positive, according to the internationally conducted “Comparative Opinion Polls in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on Socio-Political Issues and Foreign Relations” published by the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA). Russia is widely viewed as extremely important, and valued, by Armenians, though we must assume that the very favourable views towards Russia found in the poll are to some extent boosted by the recent high-profile visit to Armenia of President Medvedev. Russia is by a wide margin the outside actor most trusted in Armenia: 80% of Armenians trust Russia, nearly twice the next-highest figure (42% trusting France). Russia is also viewed as the most supportive of Armenia, 71% of Armenians believing this, compared with 43% regarding France as supportive. Positive views of Russia extend to its values, with almost half of Armenians saying that they would most prefer Armenia’s value system to be like Russia’s. Older people are especially likely to say they would prefer Russia’s value system while younger people would much prefer a European set of values.Young people are still by far the most positive towards Russia of all countries and organisations even though they prefer European values. 85% of Armenians view Russia as having a key role as a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, far more than for any other country or international organisation – and Russia is also regarded as the most interested in achieving a settlement to the conflict.
Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/politics/news/57180/Russia_widely_viewed_as_extremely_important_for_Armenia
Survey: Artsakh People Trusts Russia
The European Friends of Armenia organization today publicized results of the survey conducted among Artsakh population lately. The survey addressed social and political issues, foreign affairs. According to the survey, Artsakh people is more informed about OSCE Minsk Group than Armenian population, Andrew Cooper, Executive Director of the Populus public opinion center, told reporters. 51 percent Artsakh population are informed about aims and activities of OSCE Minsk Group. 43 percent believe MG plays a role in the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Meanwhile, 85 percent Artsakh residents trust Russia, 78 percent think Russia supports Artsakh and Armenia, 87 percent suppose Russia plays a major role in the conflict settlement.
Source: http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2010/11/25/karabakh-russia/
Moscow to hold large ceremony on Armenia’s 20th independence anniversary
Moscow will hold a grandiose ceremony devoted to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. The event will be held in the sport complex of Luzhniki. Chairman of the Union of Armenians in Russia (UAR) Ara Abrahamyan will deliver a welcoming speech, UAR deputy chairman Levon Mukanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. Representatives of Russian political and social structures, artists, and young people are invited for the ceremony. Russian and foreign singers will participate in the concert. Fireworks with colors of Armenian and Russian flags will end the ceremony. “Armenia and Russia are very friendly states, Armenians are treated well in Russia,” Mukanyan said. Urartu foundation with the support of UAR is the sponsor of the ceremony.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/74410.html
Artsakh MFA hosted young people from Russia
On September 23, Acting Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Vasily Atajanian received Armenian and Russian youth representatives from the RF Volgograd district who had arrived in the NKR within Travel to Armenia project, NKR MFA Press Service. The project’s program director, leader of the mission of the Union of Russian Armenians in the town of Volzhskiy Hracha Nersisian noted that their trip was aimed at familiarizing with the spiritual, cultural, and historical values of Armenia and Artsakh, increasing the intellectual potential of the youth, at its spiritual-moral and patriotic education and establishment of corresponding relations with the compatriots. On the guests’ request, the NKR Acting Foreign Minister introduced the basic stages of the Karabakh National-Liberation Movement, the current situation in the negotiation process on the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement, the demographic situation in the Republic, and others. Vasily Atajanian noted the importance of similar visits in the consolidation of Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity. The project’s organizers informed that the visits to the NKR would be continued and more youth representatives would be involved.
Source: http://times.am/2011/09/23/artsakh-mfa-hosted-young-people-from-russia/
Armenian president says important to use the potential of Armenians in Russia for strengthening the relations of both regions
Full use of the potential of Armenian community in Russia is important for strengthening the relations of both regions, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said during the meeting with Russian Minister of regional development Viktor Basargin. Welcoming Basargin who is in Armenia to attend the Armenian-Russian interregional forum, Sargsyan said that he and his Russian colleague Dmitri Medvedev give great importance to interregional cooperation.
Noting the importance of the forum, Sargsyan said that Basargin's visit and the upcoming event will promote the development between Russia and Armenia. Basargin said that Sargsyan personally made great efforts for the development of relations between Armenia and Russia. “You recently traveled to several regions of Russia – our priority areas where we see great potential for the development of economic and humanitarian spheres. Today, more than 70 Russian regions, directly or indirectly cooperate with Armenia”, he said. Representation of “Rosgossotrudnichestvo”, development fund “Institute of Eurasian Studies” and Armenian Development Agency with the support of Presidential Administration and the Office of the President of Armenia organized this forum.
Thematic round-tables are: “The role of interregional relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia”, “Development of economic infrastructure of interregional relations: transport, communication, telecommunication”, “Joint energy projects as a factor in strengthening bilateral interregional relations”, “Strengthening of humanitarian ties between Armenia and Russia”, and “The role of regional cooperation in tourism development”. It is planned to sign interregional and intergovernmental agreements, import-export contracts, contracts between the regional economic entities on opening new businesses.
Noting the importance of the forum, Sargsyan said that Basargin's visit and the upcoming event will promote the development between Russia and Armenia. Basargin said that Sargsyan personally made great efforts for the development of relations between Armenia and Russia. “You recently traveled to several regions of Russia – our priority areas where we see great potential for the development of economic and humanitarian spheres. Today, more than 70 Russian regions, directly or indirectly cooperate with Armenia”, he said. Representation of “Rosgossotrudnichestvo”, development fund “Institute of Eurasian Studies” and Armenian Development Agency with the support of Presidential Administration and the Office of the President of Armenia organized this forum.
Thematic round-tables are: “The role of interregional relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia”, “Development of economic infrastructure of interregional relations: transport, communication, telecommunication”, “Joint energy projects as a factor in strengthening bilateral interregional relations”, “Strengthening of humanitarian ties between Armenia and Russia”, and “The role of regional cooperation in tourism development”. It is planned to sign interregional and intergovernmental agreements, import-export contracts, contracts between the regional economic entities on opening new businesses.
Source: http://arka.am/eng/politics/2011/04/18/25288.html
Round table in Yerevan to discuss Russian language media in Armenia
The Institute for Eurasian Studies and an Armenian Foundation called "Forward, Russia and Armenia”, will hold October 7 in Yerevan a round table discussion on the Russian- language media in Armenia, its present and future, the Armenian branch of the Institute told ARKA. The event will be held with the support of a department in Russian president’s administration in charge of interregional and cultural relations with foreign countries as part of Days of Russian Language in Armenia slated for October 3-9. The roundtable will bring together representatives of the administrations of presidents of Russia and Armenia, the two foreign ministers, heads of Russian and Armenian media and experts. The mission of the round table is to promote cooperation between Russian and Armenian media. The roundtable will discuss topical issues of Russian-language media in Armenia and perspectives for its development. The event will be followed by the official opening of the Russian Book House in Yerevan.
Source: http://www.arka.am/eng/politics/2011/09/30/28132.html
Russian Bear in Armenian Schools
The international contest “Russian Bear” will be officially held for the second time in Armenia on November 11. The contest “Russian Bear – Linguistics for All” is the younger "brother" of another popular and beloved international school contest, “Kangaroo – Math for All”. The main goal of the contest is to attract an overall interest towards the Russian language, make it more attractive for children, thus showing its charm and richness. We are pleased to state that this year the contest's geography has been expanded. The packages with invitations for participation have already been sent to 553 schools of all cities in Armenia and all 13 schools in Stepanakert. Registration of children willing to participate in the contest has also started. The deadline for children's registration at schools is October 13, and for submission of school applications – October 20. It will be recalled that last year 2130 students from 41 schools of Yerevan and 8 schools of Gyumri participated in the “Russian Bear”. 144 students were awarded prizes, Ayb Educational Foundation reports.
Source: http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2011/10/12/russian-bear/
Vice President of the Union of Armenians of Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs, Levon Mukanyan
Recently, Moscow State University hosted a round-table discussion on "Twenty years of independence of the Republic of Armenia: toward the development of Armenian-Russian relations." The Vice President of the Union of Armenians of Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs, Levon Mukanyan, expressed his point of view on these processes in an interview with VK.
- How would you characterize the current level of Armenian-Russian relations?
Of course, a historic friendship and relationship is being formed between the two nations. We easily understand each other, we are close in many respects regarding mentality and culture. We have the same religion, which determines our common view on various issues. At the moment the problem is the transport blockade of Armenia. We have no other ways except for air travel, which is costly. At the moment there is a transport corridor to the port of Poti via Georgia, from where there is a possibility of crossing. But again, as economists say, it is cheaper to deliver cargo from anywhere to the port of Poti than from the port of Poti to Yerevan. But again I am stressing that these are just temporary difficulties.
- How would you characterize the current level of Armenian-Russian relations?
Of course, a historic friendship and relationship is being formed between the two nations. We easily understand each other, we are close in many respects regarding mentality and culture. We have the same religion, which determines our common view on various issues. At the moment the problem is the transport blockade of Armenia. We have no other ways except for air travel, which is costly. At the moment there is a transport corridor to the port of Poti via Georgia, from where there is a possibility of crossing. But again, as economists say, it is cheaper to deliver cargo from anywhere to the port of Poti than from the port of Poti to Yerevan. But again I am stressing that these are just temporary difficulties.
The Armenian economy has prospects for development with the elimination of the transport blockade, and we know about the on-going intergovernmental agreements with Turkey on this subject. Someone sees it as a positive tendency, some - as negative. Everything in this world is relative. We believe that Armenia should establish relations with its neighbors. In the Caucasus we say that a good neighbor is better than a distant cousin. Therefore it is necessary to establish relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey at least at the level of civil society, because we want to pass on a brighter future to our children. I would not like my son to inherit the prospect of war, but the prospect of good neighborliness and cooperation.
We know our neighbors well, we used to live and work together. At the moment we still know our generation. But perhaps a decade will pass and the next generation will already be divorced from each other, which of course is frightening us, public officials. Of course, Russia is interested in stability in the Caucasus, and stability can be attained when conflicts are resolved and sharp corners are smoothed out. Russia has been actively involved in mediation between conflicting parties; if we take the Karabakh issue, along with the United States and France. Some may be satisfied with this process, some not, from the Azerbaijani side, as well as from the Russian and Armenian ones. There are radicals, hotheads. I think that the peace-negotiating process is better than the death of young people and the sufferings of the people. Nobody expected that all the issues would be resolved, neither we nor the Azerbaijanis, nor the intermediaries.
We understand that this is a complex process, which needs to be carried step by step, stage by stage. The most important thing is to learn to talk to each other, learn to respect each other. At least as a start not to insult each other, as a classic writer once said, "If you look at me with a fist, I have no choice but to clench my fist and reply to you." But if you come and say, 'Let's sit down, discuss, take counsel,' then I will say: 'Let's sit down'." And suddenly we will realize that there are not many problems. We have more that unites than divides us. There is something that divides us, but sometimes it seems as if it has been inspired artificially, from the outside.
There are technologies, whole institutes are working on developing conflicts and using conflicts in different political situations. People suffer from this. It was said at the round table that the peoples of Armenia and Russia are willing to cooperate, they have a historical basis and perspective on the future, and also the people of Armenia are willing to communicate, to cooperate with their neighbors, with Georgia and Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. Armenians have always been distinguished by their creativity and peacefulness. I think we need to pass this on to our children.
- What role do you assign to the Diaspora in this process? The Russian Armenian Diaspora is one of the most structured, organized and efficient in the world. What role can it play in Armenian-Russian relations in the context of establishing peace in the South Caucasus?
The Union of Armenians of Russia has always advocated the strengthening of Russian-Armenian relations. We do not just report. The Union of Armenians of Russia in Armenia has built Russian centers; at the moment our president, Abrahamian, is building a Russian church in Yerevan and a center of the Russian language. The Union of Armenians of Russia has been holding a competition of the Russian language in the CIS and Baltic states for three consecutive years. And the winners of this competition studied in Russian universities for free.
- What role do you assign to the Diaspora in this process? The Russian Armenian Diaspora is one of the most structured, organized and efficient in the world. What role can it play in Armenian-Russian relations in the context of establishing peace in the South Caucasus?
The Union of Armenians of Russia has always advocated the strengthening of Russian-Armenian relations. We do not just report. The Union of Armenians of Russia in Armenia has built Russian centers; at the moment our president, Abrahamian, is building a Russian church in Yerevan and a center of the Russian language. The Union of Armenians of Russia has been holding a competition of the Russian language in the CIS and Baltic states for three consecutive years. And the winners of this competition studied in Russian universities for free.
As a Russian Diaspora, we have always had three main goals. Firstly, the mutual support for each other, unity. If we are united, we are consolidating our overall strength and intellectual capacity, human as well as financial. As citizens of Russia, we have always said that our second main goal is the promotion of the Russian Federation.
Because only a strong Russia can act as a guarantor of economic stability, peace and security in the region. We have always had an active role in this regard. The Union of Armenians of Russia have participated in various round-table discussions and public councils. We are not only talking, but actually doing things. Our civil role can also be the last example. Last year, there was peat burning in four areas. The Union of Armenians of Russia collected one hundred tons of humanitarian cargo and 10 million rubles, which were distributed in the four areas. This was a voluntary desire of citizens. It was not imposed from above. We are a public organization, our participants and funds are non-state, we are not financed by anyone, only through the personal contributions of individuals.
As citizens we have been very sad that people are caught in fires in different places, homeless and shelterless. I can give many similar examples. When the flooding took place in Krasnodar Territory, we, too, sent 40 trucks there. This is an active civic position, because a strong Russia is a guarantor of stability. Our third main direction is the promotion of an historic homeland, with full cooperation: cultural, humanitarian and educational.
We support all the projects that connect Russia and Armenia. Annually, for ten years in a row, we have organized Days of the Union of Armenians of Russia in Armenia, bringing large delegations there, from the Russian intelligentsia, the economic bloc, as well as representatives of information and education. When we used to live in the Soviet Union, there were programs in schools, organized tours to St. Petersburg and Moscow. There was a position, according to which children had always to go and see. Now, when the connection has been interrupted, the gap between the intelligentsia and youth only widens with the years.
Therefore, we try to actively take part in Russian society, to show them that the residents of Yerevan are not much different from Muscovites - they are also cosmopolitans, following the same fashions, perceiving good and bad in the same way. Of course, we are concerned that xenophobia is being imposed on Russia in recent years, which turns into a radical form. After all, xenophobia is inherent to any people as a national immune measure from all the others.
That is understandable. But when it acquires a radical form of aggressiveness, I do not like it, it becomes extremely dangerous. We think that this is contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation, the interests of the Russian people. Because all of these actions sooner or later lead to civil unrest, which could lead to a revolution or confrontation. Many lose when Russia is a strong economic power. We must understand that the basis of any war is economic interests, nothing else. People want to amputate from Russia those regions where there are oil, gas, diamonds, mineral resources, etc. Russia really runs the risk of losing it, as happened in the Soviet Union. It is therefore necessary to fuel this xenophobia. And a pseudo-xenophobia is being fueled.
Why are Russian patriotic organization associated with the nationalists? Because such an image has been created. Those centers fund and ensure the support of anti-Russian sentiments in southern republics in Central Asia. Ten, twenty, thirty years pass and people just do not want to talk to each other. They say: why should I send my son to study in Moscow, if I can send him to London? He will be killed in Moscow, killed. - No, he will not be killed there. - He will be, I have read about it in the papers.
Whatever presidents sign, if people do not want this, it is just a piece of paper. For twenty years people have been trying to make us enemies. There are forces in Russia that are urging to separate the North Caucasus. They do not realize that, by separating the Caucasus, the problem will not be solved. If there are people in Moscow and you do not want to see them, it does not mean that if you separate Dagestan, Dagestani citizens will not be there. For example, the Central Asian republics are independent, but are there no Tajiks and Uzbeks in Moscow? It is all about pseudo-patriotism. It is connected with the fact that we have lost an ideology. Young people do not know the landmarks, where to go and where to make friends, what they should strive for. We have talked about domestic issues, too. Russia wins in something or loses, it depends not so much on external forces, but on internal cohesion.
Whatever presidents sign, if people do not want this, it is just a piece of paper. For twenty years people have been trying to make us enemies. There are forces in Russia that are urging to separate the North Caucasus. They do not realize that, by separating the Caucasus, the problem will not be solved. If there are people in Moscow and you do not want to see them, it does not mean that if you separate Dagestan, Dagestani citizens will not be there. For example, the Central Asian republics are independent, but are there no Tajiks and Uzbeks in Moscow? It is all about pseudo-patriotism. It is connected with the fact that we have lost an ideology. Young people do not know the landmarks, where to go and where to make friends, what they should strive for. We have talked about domestic issues, too. Russia wins in something or loses, it depends not so much on external forces, but on internal cohesion.
We, as fellow believers, as people who have been together with the Russian people for centuries, are interested in a firmly standing [with the] Russian people. Russians and Armenians have parallel interests, we have no disagreements. What is profitable for Russia is almost always profitable for us. In this regard, I think we will strive for a better future.
Source: http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/18708.html
Azeri and Georgian perspective:
Armenia's ties with Russia cause regional instability, says Baku
'At the recent meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents Armenia withdrew from the agreements reached within many years. The co-chairing states had to ignore the subjects of the international law,' second secretary of the Security Problems Department of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elchin Huseynli said while addressing the international conference entitled 'Establishing relations across borders' organized by GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and Baltic Assembly. Elchin Huseynli said Armenia commits illegal actions in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
“Armenia conducts the so-called elections, events in the territories of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani cultural monuments are destroyed. They even attempt to involve the companies from the co-chairing countries. Baku will never allow this,” he said.
According to him, the European Union has double-headed approach to the conflicts in the region: “The European Union recognized the territorial integrity of one country in the region and shows different approach to another one. It doesn’t honor anyone when they recognize the territorial integrity of one country, but turned a blind eye to the violation of territorial integrity of another one”.
The diplomat said that Azerbaijan could play a role in energy supply of the European Union: “Otherwise, more dramatic situation can appear, Europe can fall into position of dependence from another country in the energy supply. The developments in August, 2008 were a great danger for the region. Everybody must draw a lesson from it”. Reminding that Azerbaijan and Georgia participated in the establishment of GUAM, Huseynli noted that Armenia was a member of Collective Security Treaty Organization:
“Armenia’s relations with Russia cause the instability in the region. Armenia, which is the smallest country in the region, has important military and political agreement with Russia. The conflicts in the regions seriously interrupt the development of the region. If these conflicts are settled, the South Caucasus will turn into developed region from the economic standpoint. Azerbaijan’s position is known - the joint projects are out of the question until the conflicts in the region are settled”.
Source: http://www.news.az/articles/politics/46398
Armenia shows more interest in Russian language
Armenians are showing more interest in the Russian language, especially among young people, News Armenia cites Sergey Vinokurov, head of the Russian presidential directorate for interregional and cultural relations with foreign states, as saying. Understanding of the fact that the Russian language is a means of integration into Russian and global culture and science is improving, Vinokurov said at a round-table discussion entitled “Russian-language media space in Armenia: present and future”.
Vinokurov noted that the multi-faceted cooperation between Armenia and Russia and the high state of mutual integration of their societies determines the modern level of public need for Russian-language media in Armenia. The expert expressed confidence that the Armenian and Russian press may be seen as positive practice for existing projects for exchange of information. Such projects are realized by the RAMI, RIA Novosti, radio Golos Rossii (Voice of Russia) and many others, he notes.
Vinokurov believes that the increase of attention and interest in existing forms of information exchange and formation of new projects would be beneficial. The round-table discussion, entitled “Russian-language media space in Armenia: present and future”, was organized by the Development Fund of the Institute of Eurasian Studies and the Armenian Fund “Forward Russia and Armenia”, with support from the Russian presidential directorate for interregional and cultural relations with foreign states.
The round table is being held within the framework of the Days of Russian Language in Armenia (October 3-9). Officials from the Russian and Armenian Presidential Administrations, Foreign Ministries, heads of Russian and Armenian media sources and experts are taking part. The round table is aimed at supporting the development of cooperation between Russian and Armenian media organizations, strengthening of bilateral contacts in TV and determination of prospects for their development and development of TV and radio broadcasting and electronic media resources.
Vinokurov noted that the multi-faceted cooperation between Armenia and Russia and the high state of mutual integration of their societies determines the modern level of public need for Russian-language media in Armenia. The expert expressed confidence that the Armenian and Russian press may be seen as positive practice for existing projects for exchange of information. Such projects are realized by the RAMI, RIA Novosti, radio Golos Rossii (Voice of Russia) and many others, he notes.
Vinokurov believes that the increase of attention and interest in existing forms of information exchange and formation of new projects would be beneficial. The round-table discussion, entitled “Russian-language media space in Armenia: present and future”, was organized by the Development Fund of the Institute of Eurasian Studies and the Armenian Fund “Forward Russia and Armenia”, with support from the Russian presidential directorate for interregional and cultural relations with foreign states.
The round table is being held within the framework of the Days of Russian Language in Armenia (October 3-9). Officials from the Russian and Armenian Presidential Administrations, Foreign Ministries, heads of Russian and Armenian media sources and experts are taking part. The round table is aimed at supporting the development of cooperation between Russian and Armenian media organizations, strengthening of bilateral contacts in TV and determination of prospects for their development and development of TV and radio broadcasting and electronic media resources.
Source: http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/society/18678.html
Political scientist: Attack on Russian language began long before transferring transportation system of Armenia and NPP to France
The campaign, launched in Armenia in connection with the country's subordination to the Russian influence, is once again experiencing a phase of intensity. Although this is also connected with French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Armenia, but the intensity started much earlier, the director of the Center for Political Innovation and Technology, a political scientist Mubariz Ahmedoglu said.
"The attacks on the Russian language in Armenia had two distinctive features. First of all, it was a sudden and unjustified campaign against the Russian language in the whole CIS, and secondly, it is carried out by the public. Therefore, they particularly demonstrate the struggle against Russian-language by public so that the anti-Russian sentiment in Armenia would be clearly visible. Earlier there could be a different cover or justification by the Western-Armenian relations, the signing of a latent strategic cooperation between Armenia and NATO. There were even Russian politicians who supported Armenia's ties with the United States and NATO and its rush to the side of Turkey," said Ahmedoglu.
According to him, campaigning against the Russian language, Armenia openly demonstrated its strategic intentions. "Maybe, starting a campaign against the Russian language, Armenia demonstrates a desire to move to the side of West and thereby, probes the Russian side. In other words, they are fighting, carrying out reconnaissance," said the analyst. Representatives of the political sphere in Armenia and intellectuals for a long time and in insulting manner have been fighting against the Russian language, said Ahmedoglu.
"Moscow's politicians have not reacted to it for a long time. The experts such as the members of the State Duma of Russia K.Zatulin, S.Markedonov, A.Zakharov, A.Areshev, M.Alexandrov, who always protected the interests of Armenia, supported Armenia's policy even in the period of insulting Russian language. Politicians, whose names were mentioned during the critical attacks on the Russian language, including other politicians of Russian origin, did not react at all. Let show any of these politicians who whenever reacted to anti-Russian policy of Armenia. Aforementioned persons are not random people, most of them are employees of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Given that they protect Armenia, these politicians did not even expressed their attitude towards this issue during the meetings behind closed doors in Armenia," said the political scientist.
According to him, these politicians can not react negatively to the anti-Russian activities of Armenia. It is not just the financial resources received from the Armenians. There are other forms of their relations with the Armenians in Moscow and the West.
"The main factor that Armenia turned to the side of the West is called the situation in the transport infrastructure. A large group of Russian experts supported Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories. None of them raised the question of beginning the operation of the railway line Moscow-Baku-Yerevan. Now the Armenian railways are unprofitable because of the access to Russia. In order to become profitable, Armenia should join the network of railways of the world or through Russia or through Turkey. Intentionally or accidentally not desiring to join the Russian railways, Armenia, intending to sell its railways to France, wants to join the global transportation system through Turkey," said Ahmedoglu.
It is necessary to approach from this context the question about replacing Russia with France in building nuclear power plant in Armenia, he said. "The attacks on the Russian language began long before raising questions about the transport system of Armenia and the NPP. Harassment of Russian language and other pressure on the interests of Russia in Armenia took place with the direct participation of prominent politicians of the Russian Federation," said Ahmedoglu.
Source: http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1943368.html
Russophilia is hindering this blog
ReplyDeleteThank you for this blog! I didn't know about Giragosian. All these agents disgust me. Baruyr Hayrikian has been conspiring against Armenia for decades. For the life of me I can't figure out how he is allowed to remain inside Armenia's political life.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the price is right Russians will sell Armenia to Turks again. Armenians have no friends in this world, they must only rely on themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis was a GREAT article Arevordi, thanks for suggesting it.
ReplyDelete