A Russian conscript stationed at the Russian 102nd military base on the outskirts of Gyumri, Armenia went AWOL from his base during the early morning hours of January 12 and massacred an entire Armenian family in the city. Being that Armenians are very family oriented, a major backlash was expected. Spontaneous demonstrations have taken place. Armenians around the world are outraged and they are demanding answers from Russian and Armenian officials. And being that we are talking about Armenia, it was also expected that the country's Western-led political opposition would not waste any time in exploiting the tragedy that took place in the city of Gyumri. As soon as word of the killings spread, Western-funded vultures were out in force. With the Gyumri tragedy and the recent deaths of Armenian servicemen on the border with Azerbaijan, 2015 has had a terrible start in Armenia.
I'd like to, however, remind all Armenians that geopolitics (i.e. the very harsh realities of maintaining a nation-state in a Turkic/Islamic infested cesspool like the south Caucasus) trumps the people's emotions regardless of the circumstances or the severity of the incident. At the end of the day, the reality of the matter is that Russia’s 102nd base is the MOST IMPORTANT military factor in Armenia today. The base essentially acts as a tripwire against an invasion from Turkey. By securing Armenia’s western borders against Turkey's massive military, the base also allows Armenia's small military to concentrate its limited resources against a more manageable enemy, Azerbaijan. I would go as far as saying Armenia lives today because of the 102nd base. Politicizing this horrible tragedy is therefore not in Armenia’s national interests for it serves to drive a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan. Driving a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan is something Turks, Azeris, Georgians, Wahhabi Islamists and Western oil interests have long sought; Armenians have no choice but to be politically mature enough not allow this to happen. Russians are also shocked at what has taken place in their military. Yes, we Armenians want answers and accountability from Moscow but Western mercenaries in Armenia are exasperating the situation by burning Russian flags and demanding that the 102nd base gets shut down.
Anyone calling for the closure of the Russian base is a traitor to Armenia and must be dealt with as if a foreign combatant. Anyone that is agitating against Armenia's alliance against Russia is a traitor to Armenia and must be dealt with accordingly.
We all know that generally speaking Armenians are reactionary, overly emotional and very family oriented. You want to seriously piss-off an Armenian and make him do irrational, self-destructive acts, mess with his family. You want to see an Armenian go insane and turn his dwelling upside-down, mess with his family. Whoever or whatever was behind the Gyumri massacre knew our people’s traits well. The assault in Gyumri was thus directed against the Armenian family. And this latest assault against Armenia came at a very delicate period in the country for it came at a time when: Western aggression in Novorossiya and Syria has brought the region to the precipice of a major international conflagration; Western financial sanctions against Russia has been having a very negative impact Armenia's small and fledgling economy; Western assets inside Armenia have been increasing their anti-government activities because Armenia officially entered the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union; Yerevan had been actively preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; renewed fighting on the Armenian border with Azerbaijan had risen tensions in Yerevan to new heights.
Internal and external pressure is being put on Armenia.
The Gyumri massacre was a direct assault on Armenia, and for shock value it was made to come via Russian hands, the hands that have been tasked with protecting the country for regional predators. In my opinion, the Gyumri massacre had the potential to bring Armenia to the very tipping point. The incident had the potential to tip the scale against Yerevan and incite mass unrest throughout Armenia. The massacre in Gyumri was also a situation where Armenia's geopolitical predicaments and the Armenian people's traits were exploited and used against Armenia. Consequently, all of Washington’s street whores throughout Armenian society are enthusiastically exploiting this horrible tragedy and using it toward self-serving political ends. Now, Turks and Azeris are impatiently watching from the sidelines to see just how suicidal and self-destructive Armenians will get once more.
I ultimately blame Yerevan’s “complimentary politics” for all this volatility. Yerevan's appeasement toward Western powers has allowed Armenia to become utterly saturated by Western-led mercenaries during the past twenty years. Yerevan's appeasement toward Western powers has enabled Western trained Armenians to penetrate the Armenian government. Yerevan has given Western interests a free hand in the country. Moreover, whatever flaws that may exist in Russian-Armenians relations today is due to the lack of Armenian lobbying efforts in the Kremlin and because of Yerevan's complimentary politics (i.e. pandering to Western powers). Armenia today is being torn between two superpowers as a result. While Moscow has managed to keep a tight control over leading heads in Armenia, Western powers have come to control the rest of the Armenian body. It has gotten to a dangerous point now where the head and the body no longer recognize each other. Consequently, predictably and alarmingly, we are now also seeing a growing trend of Russophobia in Armenia, especially amongst the impressionable young in the country. With Russia busy trying to thwart NATO's advances in Europe, Western powers have been freely sowing their seeds of destruction throughout Armenian society. If these seeds are not destroyed now, they will eventually bare bad fruit. Russians have been warning Armenians about this situation for some years now. Armenia's enemies are also beginning to take note -
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to realize that if Russophobia ever goes mainstream inside Armenian society, Armenia will cease to exist as a nation-state in the south Caucasus... or simply become subservient to Turkey. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to realize that Armenia cannot survive in the south Caucasus without active support and protection from Moscow. The following is a geopolitical nuance that seems to escape many Armenians today: The only nation on earth that has a strategic interest in Armenia's existence as a nation-state in the south Caucasus is the Russian nation, because without an allied Armenia in the south Caucasus Russia would face losing all of the Caucasus, and perhaps Central Asia as well. The main point here being: Many nations can be on friendly terms with Armenia, but none of them, except for Russia, would be adversely impacted if Armenia ceased to exist as a state one day. Only Russia stands to lose if Armenia disappears. This factor makes Russia a natural ally for Armenia. For us Armenians there are simply no alternatives to Russia. Alarmingly, however, many Armenians are failing to see this and official Yerevan is not merely doing enough to further deepen and/or develop Armenia's strategic relationship with the Russian Bear.
From an esoteric perspective, what is happening in Armenia today may in fact be a replaying of the geopolitical tug-of-war that existed between ancient Persia (who in my opinion is the spiritual predecessor to modern Russia) and Rome (the spiritual predecessor to the modern West) during the first few centuries of the Christian era. The pagan temple of Garni, Armenia, a Roman funded and styled building where Armenians prayed to Persian deities, is a vivid reminder to us today of the "complimentary politics" executed by Armenian leaders at the time. Very similar to the political climate in Armenia today, two thousand years ago Armenian leaders wearily walked a tightrope between imperial Rome and Persia. Eventually, there came a time when Armenian nobles, having had enough of the constant back-and-forth and political instability, deposed their king and asked Persia to come in once again and take control of Armenia. I hope it does not come to that this time around, but if it does, then so be it. Russia is for Armenia today what Persia was for Armenia back in antiquity. As it was also back then with ancient Rome, we must recognize that the West is in Armenia's geographic region only temporarily. In fact, the modern West has even less interests in the region in question than ancient Rome did. Control over the Caucasus region is not crucially vital for the West. Therefore, when being in the Caucasus proves costly for the West, it will easily abandon the region. For Russia, however, the region in question is essentially an extension of its borders. It would therefore be in Armenia's long term benefit to place its already limited efforts and collective emphasis in fostering better relations with friendly political entities that we Armenians know have a vested interest in Armenia and will therefore remain in Armenia's region for the long term.
Despite what our EUrotic idiots, Captain Americas, պատրոնդաշ կապած չոբաններ and Քաջ Նազարներ want us to believe, Armenia exists today not because of two million impoverished Armenians in Armenia - no less than half of whom have their luggages packed and ready to flee - and certainly not because of the big talking, under performing and utterly assimilated Armenian Diaspora. Armenia's exists today because of its strategic alliance with a superpower like Russia. Turks and Azeris have remained on their side of the borders for the past twenty years because of their fear of the Russian Bear. That there are even questions about Russia's military presence in Armenia speaks volumes about Armenian irrationality, political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior. And the irony of all ironies is that every single one of the anti-Russian activists we have been seeing recently beating their chests in public would be the first to flee to Russia (or America) as soon as the first Turkish army division crossed the Arax River.
Something went terribly wrong on January 12
Although Armenia's has an army of Western mercenaries who's sole task in the country has been to sour Russian-Armenian relations, the survival instinct present in most native Armenians have helped them understand and appreciate the strategic value of the 102nd base. There has therefore always been a lot of good interaction between Russian soldiers stationed at the base (a significant portion of whom incidentally are Armenian contract soldiers serving under the Russian Federation) and Armenian civilians in Gyumri. Relations between Russian soldiers and Armenian civilians have generally been very warm. Even after two drunk Russian soldiers randomly open fire on civilians about fifteen years ago killing two men, base personnel continued to enjoy very warm ties with Gyumri residents. Interaction between military personnel stationed at the base and surrounding civilians is a positive thing; it's actually excellent PR for both sides. Yes, strict security measures have to be in place at the base as in all military bases, but the last thing we want to do is to alienate soldiers from the people that surround them. The last thing we Armenians want to do is isolate foreign soldiers stationed in Armenia from the very people they may be called upon to fight for in a time of war. The 102nd base has had a very positive impact on Armenia and Gyumri for the past twenty years.
But something went terribly wrong on January 12. During the early morning hours of that day, a 19 year old Russian conscript named Valery Permyakov is said to have gone AWOL from the 102nd base where he was stationed and walked several kilometers to a random house where he proceeded to murdered all 7 members of the Avetisyan family, including a two years old child and a six month old infant who succumbed to his injuries several days after the incident. According to reports put out by Russian and Armenian authorities, after the murders Permyakov left his weapon and personal items at the scene of the crime and fled. Permyakov was caught later in the same day near the Armenian-Turkish border. It was reported that he had wanted to escape to Turkey.
Soon after the initial shock of the terrible massacre had dissipated, questions began to rise: Was Permyakov mentally ill? How did he leave his base with his AK-74 assault rifle without being detected? Why did he walk several kilometers, in the bitter Gyumri cold, to massacre the Avetisyan family? Why did he then leave incriminating evidence behind? Why was he trying to flee to Turkey? Was Permayakov really alone? Was this barbaric act ordered from abroad? Although Permyakov has reportedly confessed to the murders, Armenian and Russian officials insist that he has not yet provided them with a reason for the heinous act. For many people, including myself, the massacre in Gyumri seems very suspicious. Therefore, nothing should be ruled out and everything should be investigated.
Was Permyakov under the influence of mind altering drugs?
Mind altering psychedelic drugs have become weaponized in recent years. Such drugs can make individuals carryout assassinations, cold blooded murders or commit suicide. We have seen drug related atrocities carried out by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact, there is an epidemic of suicides and mass killings taking place in the US in recent years. Most of these have been carried out by people on psychedelic medications. Mainstream news media outlets in the US do their best keep a lid on this kind of information. There are several very high profile examples of drugged assassins: Robert Bales (who carried out the massacre of civilians in Kandahar); Sirhan Sirhan (who assassinated Robert Kennedy); and Mark Chapman (who assassinated John Lennon). All three exhibited signs of being under the influence of medications upon their arrest. All three did not attempt to escape. All three had poor recollection of what they had done. I have always wondered how many of the mass killings that take place in the US are actually covert government experiments. I also suspect many of the jihadis that go on killing rampages periodically are also under the influence of some for of mind altering medication. This is not sci-fi. Psychedelic drugs have been worked on by psychiatrists and biochemists for many decades. The Nazis worked on them. The Soviet Union worked on them. Naturally, the successors of both the Nazis and the Soviet Union - the Anglo-American-Jewish political order - has been working on mind altering drugs for a long time. Science is at a point where anything is possible these days. The only question is: How far has science gone? Yes, this is all speculation but nothing should be ruled out because this unusually vicious crime in Gyumri comes at a very sensitive time in Armenia.
Was Permyakov really alone?
On one of the coldest days of the year (Eurasianet quoted an Armenian source which reported the temperature at the time in Gyumri to be 17 to 20 degrees Celsius below zero) Permyakov walks several kilometers to the Avetisyan's dwelling and murders at least five of the seven family members present with an AK-74 assault rifle, yet not one of the Avetisyan's neighbors hear a gun shot? How were all family members murdered in their beds? Didn't the noise from the first gun shot wake up the rest? Why would a murderer then leave the weapons with which he carried out the murders as well as other incriminating evidence at the scene of the crime before leaving? How would Permyakov then proceeds to walk, still undetected, many kilometers to the Armenian-Turkish border? Somethings just don't add up. Did another assailant assist Permyakov? Was Permyakov driven to the Avetisyan house? Was a silencer used in the murders? Was Permyakov's belonging left at the crime scene to implicate the 102nd base? Was Permyakov then driven to the Armenian-Turkish border?
I'd like to, however, remind all Armenians that geopolitics (i.e. the very harsh realities of maintaining a nation-state in a Turkic/Islamic infested cesspool like the south Caucasus) trumps the people's emotions regardless of the circumstances or the severity of the incident. At the end of the day, the reality of the matter is that Russia’s 102nd base is the MOST IMPORTANT military factor in Armenia today. The base essentially acts as a tripwire against an invasion from Turkey. By securing Armenia’s western borders against Turkey's massive military, the base also allows Armenia's small military to concentrate its limited resources against a more manageable enemy, Azerbaijan. I would go as far as saying Armenia lives today because of the 102nd base. Politicizing this horrible tragedy is therefore not in Armenia’s national interests for it serves to drive a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan. Driving a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan is something Turks, Azeris, Georgians, Wahhabi Islamists and Western oil interests have long sought; Armenians have no choice but to be politically mature enough not allow this to happen. Russians are also shocked at what has taken place in their military. Yes, we Armenians want answers and accountability from Moscow but Western mercenaries in Armenia are exasperating the situation by burning Russian flags and demanding that the 102nd base gets shut down.
Anyone calling for the closure of the Russian base is a traitor to Armenia and must be dealt with as if a foreign combatant. Anyone that is agitating against Armenia's alliance against Russia is a traitor to Armenia and must be dealt with accordingly.
We all know that generally speaking Armenians are reactionary, overly emotional and very family oriented. You want to seriously piss-off an Armenian and make him do irrational, self-destructive acts, mess with his family. You want to see an Armenian go insane and turn his dwelling upside-down, mess with his family. Whoever or whatever was behind the Gyumri massacre knew our people’s traits well. The assault in Gyumri was thus directed against the Armenian family. And this latest assault against Armenia came at a very delicate period in the country for it came at a time when: Western aggression in Novorossiya and Syria has brought the region to the precipice of a major international conflagration; Western financial sanctions against Russia has been having a very negative impact Armenia's small and fledgling economy; Western assets inside Armenia have been increasing their anti-government activities because Armenia officially entered the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union; Yerevan had been actively preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; renewed fighting on the Armenian border with Azerbaijan had risen tensions in Yerevan to new heights.
Internal and external pressure is being put on Armenia.
The Gyumri massacre was a direct assault on Armenia, and for shock value it was made to come via Russian hands, the hands that have been tasked with protecting the country for regional predators. In my opinion, the Gyumri massacre had the potential to bring Armenia to the very tipping point. The incident had the potential to tip the scale against Yerevan and incite mass unrest throughout Armenia. The massacre in Gyumri was also a situation where Armenia's geopolitical predicaments and the Armenian people's traits were exploited and used against Armenia. Consequently, all of Washington’s street whores throughout Armenian society are enthusiastically exploiting this horrible tragedy and using it toward self-serving political ends. Now, Turks and Azeris are impatiently watching from the sidelines to see just how suicidal and self-destructive Armenians will get once more.
I ultimately blame Yerevan’s “complimentary politics” for all this volatility. Yerevan's appeasement toward Western powers has allowed Armenia to become utterly saturated by Western-led mercenaries during the past twenty years. Yerevan's appeasement toward Western powers has enabled Western trained Armenians to penetrate the Armenian government. Yerevan has given Western interests a free hand in the country. Moreover, whatever flaws that may exist in Russian-Armenians relations today is due to the lack of Armenian lobbying efforts in the Kremlin and because of Yerevan's complimentary politics (i.e. pandering to Western powers). Armenia today is being torn between two superpowers as a result. While Moscow has managed to keep a tight control over leading heads in Armenia, Western powers have come to control the rest of the Armenian body. It has gotten to a dangerous point now where the head and the body no longer recognize each other. Consequently, predictably and alarmingly, we are now also seeing a growing trend of Russophobia in Armenia, especially amongst the impressionable young in the country. With Russia busy trying to thwart NATO's advances in Europe, Western powers have been freely sowing their seeds of destruction throughout Armenian society. If these seeds are not destroyed now, they will eventually bare bad fruit. Russians have been warning Armenians about this situation for some years now. Armenia's enemies are also beginning to take note -
Russian expert detects anti-Russian provocations in Armenia: http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/politics/66039.html
From an esoteric perspective, what is happening in Armenia today may in fact be a replaying of the geopolitical tug-of-war that existed between ancient Persia (who in my opinion is the spiritual predecessor to modern Russia) and Rome (the spiritual predecessor to the modern West) during the first few centuries of the Christian era. The pagan temple of Garni, Armenia, a Roman funded and styled building where Armenians prayed to Persian deities, is a vivid reminder to us today of the "complimentary politics" executed by Armenian leaders at the time. Very similar to the political climate in Armenia today, two thousand years ago Armenian leaders wearily walked a tightrope between imperial Rome and Persia. Eventually, there came a time when Armenian nobles, having had enough of the constant back-and-forth and political instability, deposed their king and asked Persia to come in once again and take control of Armenia. I hope it does not come to that this time around, but if it does, then so be it. Russia is for Armenia today what Persia was for Armenia back in antiquity. As it was also back then with ancient Rome, we must recognize that the West is in Armenia's geographic region only temporarily. In fact, the modern West has even less interests in the region in question than ancient Rome did. Control over the Caucasus region is not crucially vital for the West. Therefore, when being in the Caucasus proves costly for the West, it will easily abandon the region. For Russia, however, the region in question is essentially an extension of its borders. It would therefore be in Armenia's long term benefit to place its already limited efforts and collective emphasis in fostering better relations with friendly political entities that we Armenians know have a vested interest in Armenia and will therefore remain in Armenia's region for the long term.
Despite what our EUrotic idiots, Captain Americas, պատրոնդաշ կապած չոբաններ and Քաջ Նազարներ want us to believe, Armenia exists today not because of two million impoverished Armenians in Armenia - no less than half of whom have their luggages packed and ready to flee - and certainly not because of the big talking, under performing and utterly assimilated Armenian Diaspora. Armenia's exists today because of its strategic alliance with a superpower like Russia. Turks and Azeris have remained on their side of the borders for the past twenty years because of their fear of the Russian Bear. That there are even questions about Russia's military presence in Armenia speaks volumes about Armenian irrationality, political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior. And the irony of all ironies is that every single one of the anti-Russian activists we have been seeing recently beating their chests in public would be the first to flee to Russia (or America) as soon as the first Turkish army division crossed the Arax River.
Something went terribly wrong on January 12
Although Armenia's has an army of Western mercenaries who's sole task in the country has been to sour Russian-Armenian relations, the survival instinct present in most native Armenians have helped them understand and appreciate the strategic value of the 102nd base. There has therefore always been a lot of good interaction between Russian soldiers stationed at the base (a significant portion of whom incidentally are Armenian contract soldiers serving under the Russian Federation) and Armenian civilians in Gyumri. Relations between Russian soldiers and Armenian civilians have generally been very warm. Even after two drunk Russian soldiers randomly open fire on civilians about fifteen years ago killing two men, base personnel continued to enjoy very warm ties with Gyumri residents. Interaction between military personnel stationed at the base and surrounding civilians is a positive thing; it's actually excellent PR for both sides. Yes, strict security measures have to be in place at the base as in all military bases, but the last thing we want to do is to alienate soldiers from the people that surround them. The last thing we Armenians want to do is isolate foreign soldiers stationed in Armenia from the very people they may be called upon to fight for in a time of war. The 102nd base has had a very positive impact on Armenia and Gyumri for the past twenty years.
But something went terribly wrong on January 12. During the early morning hours of that day, a 19 year old Russian conscript named Valery Permyakov is said to have gone AWOL from the 102nd base where he was stationed and walked several kilometers to a random house where he proceeded to murdered all 7 members of the Avetisyan family, including a two years old child and a six month old infant who succumbed to his injuries several days after the incident. According to reports put out by Russian and Armenian authorities, after the murders Permyakov left his weapon and personal items at the scene of the crime and fled. Permyakov was caught later in the same day near the Armenian-Turkish border. It was reported that he had wanted to escape to Turkey.
Soon after the initial shock of the terrible massacre had dissipated, questions began to rise: Was Permyakov mentally ill? How did he leave his base with his AK-74 assault rifle without being detected? Why did he walk several kilometers, in the bitter Gyumri cold, to massacre the Avetisyan family? Why did he then leave incriminating evidence behind? Why was he trying to flee to Turkey? Was Permayakov really alone? Was this barbaric act ordered from abroad? Although Permyakov has reportedly confessed to the murders, Armenian and Russian officials insist that he has not yet provided them with a reason for the heinous act. For many people, including myself, the massacre in Gyumri seems very suspicious. Therefore, nothing should be ruled out and everything should be investigated.
Was Permyakov under the influence of mind altering drugs?
Mind altering psychedelic drugs have become weaponized in recent years. Such drugs can make individuals carryout assassinations, cold blooded murders or commit suicide. We have seen drug related atrocities carried out by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact, there is an epidemic of suicides and mass killings taking place in the US in recent years. Most of these have been carried out by people on psychedelic medications. Mainstream news media outlets in the US do their best keep a lid on this kind of information. There are several very high profile examples of drugged assassins: Robert Bales (who carried out the massacre of civilians in Kandahar); Sirhan Sirhan (who assassinated Robert Kennedy); and Mark Chapman (who assassinated John Lennon). All three exhibited signs of being under the influence of medications upon their arrest. All three did not attempt to escape. All three had poor recollection of what they had done. I have always wondered how many of the mass killings that take place in the US are actually covert government experiments. I also suspect many of the jihadis that go on killing rampages periodically are also under the influence of some for of mind altering medication. This is not sci-fi. Psychedelic drugs have been worked on by psychiatrists and biochemists for many decades. The Nazis worked on them. The Soviet Union worked on them. Naturally, the successors of both the Nazis and the Soviet Union - the Anglo-American-Jewish political order - has been working on mind altering drugs for a long time. Science is at a point where anything is possible these days. The only question is: How far has science gone? Yes, this is all speculation but nothing should be ruled out because this unusually vicious crime in Gyumri comes at a very sensitive time in Armenia.
Was Permyakov really alone?
On one of the coldest days of the year (Eurasianet quoted an Armenian source which reported the temperature at the time in Gyumri to be 17 to 20 degrees Celsius below zero) Permyakov walks several kilometers to the Avetisyan's dwelling and murders at least five of the seven family members present with an AK-74 assault rifle, yet not one of the Avetisyan's neighbors hear a gun shot? How were all family members murdered in their beds? Didn't the noise from the first gun shot wake up the rest? Why would a murderer then leave the weapons with which he carried out the murders as well as other incriminating evidence at the scene of the crime before leaving? How would Permyakov then proceeds to walk, still undetected, many kilometers to the Armenian-Turkish border? Somethings just don't add up. Did another assailant assist Permyakov? Was Permyakov driven to the Avetisyan house? Was a silencer used in the murders? Was Permyakov's belonging left at the crime scene to implicate the 102nd base? Was Permyakov then driven to the Armenian-Turkish border?
Could it be a gangland hit?
Did Permyakov, or any one of this family members know the Avetisyan family? Were the murders a contract killing ordered by a Russian crime syndicate? Did someone in Permyakov's extended family have a vendetta against a member of the Avetisyan family? In others words, was the Gyumri massacre a random act carried out by a lunatic, a revenge killing, a mafia hit or an attempt to incite political unrest in Armenia? If what happened was not a random act, a revenge killing or a mafia hit, then who or what could have wanted such a thing to happen?
Who benefits from such an act?
The Gyumri massacre came at a time of heighten tensions throughout the region. From Novorossia to Syria to Artsakh, dark forces are pushing nations towards a major global conflagration. The subjugation of Russia and Iran seem to be their main geostrategic objective. Was the incident in Gyumri therefore meant to be the spark that would set off widespread sociopolitical unrest inside Armenia? The massacre came at a time when Armenia had just entered the Eurasian Union. Was the Gyumri massacre Armenia's punishment for joining the Russian-led economic pact? Moreover, soon Armenia will be commemorating the very important 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This begs the question: Was the Gyumri massacre meant to divert Armenian attention away from commemoration events? If what happened in Gyumri on January 12 was a political act, Turkish and Western interests (along with their political acolytes inside Armenian society) are the only beneficiaries.
The military significance of the 102nd base
The gradual collapse of communism in Moscow in the late 1980s set off several geopolitical fires in Soviet territory. The Armenian war of liberation in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) was one of them. With the Soviet Union on its death throes, Armenia found itself once more in a fight for its life against a larger and wealthier Turkic neighbor over an Armenian populated territory. Prior to the official collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Soviet forces were seen aiding Azeris against Armenians. By 1992, when the Soviet Union officially came to an end, the geopolitical calculus in the Kremlin had fundamentally changed. The Kremlin was no longer trying to keep the Soviet Union together. The collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with an Islamic/Turkic insurgency throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia as well as a push eastward into former Soviet territory by Western powers. A stark new geopolitical reality had come into existence for the Kremlin by early 11992. The momentum in Artsakh, which was on the side of Azerbaijan until then, quite drastically began to change. By June 1992 newly independent Armenia had registered two major victories in Artsakh: Armenian forces had chased Azeri troops out of the strategic village of Khojaly and had gone on to liberate the very strategic and culturally significant ancient Armenian city of Shushi. It soon became apparent that the newly created Russian Federation had begun supplying Armenians with large quantities of weapons, ammunition and military expertise. This was also around the time when a number of Soviet military veterans of Armenian decent began descending on Armenia to bolster Artsakh's defenses. Armenia's astounding successes on the battlefield against Azerbaijan in 1992 and in 1993 profoundly alarmed Ankara. While Turks had already been helping their ethnic cousins in Azerbaijan from the early phases of the war in Artsakh, Ankara began seeking a more direct involvement due to Armenian advances. On several occasions between 1992 and 1993 Ankara mobilized large military contingents near its border with Armenia. Ankara's posturing was clear: The Turkish military wanted to draw Armenian forces away from Artsakh to take pressure off Baku during times when Azeri forces were suffering defeats and were in retreat. This attempt by Ankara to open a second front for Armenia triggered a strong Russian response. Marshal Shaposhnikov, then Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the CIS threatened Ankara with a world war if it dared to send Turkish forces into Armenia. The Turkish military, needless to say, was forced to stand down. With it's western border thus secured, Armenians continued to concentrate their war effort against Azerbaijan. By the time the Russian brokered ceasefire came into effect in 1994, Armenia had managed to liberate most of Artsakh, including the strategic regions of Karvachar and Berdzor. The following is an excerpt from a 1996 analysis by Dmitri Trenin -
More specifically, The 102nd base officially came into existence through the efforts of a farsighted Russian-Armenian general who had initially gone to Armenia from Russia to help Armenians liberate Artsakh. The base was specifically tasked with not only protecting Russian interests in Armenia but also Armenian interests against Turkey and Azerbaijan. Today, Russia's 102nd base is arguably the single most important military factor in Armenia. The base essentially acts as a tripwire against an invasion from Turkey and NATO. Moreover, by securing Armenia's western borders against Turkey, the base allows Armenia's small and overstretched military to concentrate its limited resources against a more manageable enemy, Azerbaijan. Moreover, starting in 2008/2009 Armenia's military began experiencing a drastic reduction in meeting its yearly conscript quotas. Due to population flight, increased death rate, low births rate and wide-spread military draft avoidance starting in the early 1990s, as of 2010 very low numbers of Armenian men were being recruited into the Armenian armed forces. This alarming situation was behind the reason why Russian-Armenian military officials decided to increase the size of Russia's military presence inside Armenia. In other words, with Armenian men no where in sight, Russian men were being brought into Armenia to supplement Armenia's defenses. The above is the base's great significance but unfortunately it is also something many Armenians today are failing to understand.
Armenians would do well to put aside their empty bravado and come to the sobering realization that Armenia exists today due to Yerevan's close ties to Russia. It's high time for the Armenian house cat to stop seeing a wild lion when looking in the mirror. Armenia lives as a nation-state in the south Caucasus today because of its close ties to the Russian Bear. And the 102nd base is the symbol of the strategic alliance that exists between Russia and Armenia. The 102nd base is also the symbol of Armenia's military deterrence against Turkey's military, one of the world's largest and most aggressive. In the big geopolitical picture of the south Caucasus, Armenia exists today because of the 102nd. Armenia has not suffered the fate of Cyprus, Serbia, Georgia, Syria or the Ukraine because of the 102nd base. Armenia is untouchable by regional predators today because of Russian boots on the ground in Armenia. Unfortunately, however, due to twenty years of Western propaganda, a growing number of Armenians today are either too proud to admit or too politically illiterate to realize the immense value of the 102nd base and the necessity of Russia's military presence in Armenia. Armenians must understand that getting rid of the Russian military presence in Armenia is precisely what Turkish and Anglo-American-Jewish interests are after. The agenda seeks to expel Russia from the Caucasus and make Armenia defenseless. I'd like to once more remind the reader of the following -
Did Permyakov, or any one of this family members know the Avetisyan family? Were the murders a contract killing ordered by a Russian crime syndicate? Did someone in Permyakov's extended family have a vendetta against a member of the Avetisyan family? In others words, was the Gyumri massacre a random act carried out by a lunatic, a revenge killing, a mafia hit or an attempt to incite political unrest in Armenia? If what happened was not a random act, a revenge killing or a mafia hit, then who or what could have wanted such a thing to happen?
Who benefits from such an act?
The Gyumri massacre came at a time of heighten tensions throughout the region. From Novorossia to Syria to Artsakh, dark forces are pushing nations towards a major global conflagration. The subjugation of Russia and Iran seem to be their main geostrategic objective. Was the incident in Gyumri therefore meant to be the spark that would set off widespread sociopolitical unrest inside Armenia? The massacre came at a time when Armenia had just entered the Eurasian Union. Was the Gyumri massacre Armenia's punishment for joining the Russian-led economic pact? Moreover, soon Armenia will be commemorating the very important 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This begs the question: Was the Gyumri massacre meant to divert Armenian attention away from commemoration events? If what happened in Gyumri on January 12 was a political act, Turkish and Western interests (along with their political acolytes inside Armenian society) are the only beneficiaries.
The military significance of the 102nd base
The gradual collapse of communism in Moscow in the late 1980s set off several geopolitical fires in Soviet territory. The Armenian war of liberation in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) was one of them. With the Soviet Union on its death throes, Armenia found itself once more in a fight for its life against a larger and wealthier Turkic neighbor over an Armenian populated territory. Prior to the official collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Soviet forces were seen aiding Azeris against Armenians. By 1992, when the Soviet Union officially came to an end, the geopolitical calculus in the Kremlin had fundamentally changed. The Kremlin was no longer trying to keep the Soviet Union together. The collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with an Islamic/Turkic insurgency throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia as well as a push eastward into former Soviet territory by Western powers. A stark new geopolitical reality had come into existence for the Kremlin by early 11992. The momentum in Artsakh, which was on the side of Azerbaijan until then, quite drastically began to change. By June 1992 newly independent Armenia had registered two major victories in Artsakh: Armenian forces had chased Azeri troops out of the strategic village of Khojaly and had gone on to liberate the very strategic and culturally significant ancient Armenian city of Shushi. It soon became apparent that the newly created Russian Federation had begun supplying Armenians with large quantities of weapons, ammunition and military expertise. This was also around the time when a number of Soviet military veterans of Armenian decent began descending on Armenia to bolster Artsakh's defenses. Armenia's astounding successes on the battlefield against Azerbaijan in 1992 and in 1993 profoundly alarmed Ankara. While Turks had already been helping their ethnic cousins in Azerbaijan from the early phases of the war in Artsakh, Ankara began seeking a more direct involvement due to Armenian advances. On several occasions between 1992 and 1993 Ankara mobilized large military contingents near its border with Armenia. Ankara's posturing was clear: The Turkish military wanted to draw Armenian forces away from Artsakh to take pressure off Baku during times when Azeri forces were suffering defeats and were in retreat. This attempt by Ankara to open a second front for Armenia triggered a strong Russian response. Marshal Shaposhnikov, then Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the CIS threatened Ankara with a world war if it dared to send Turkish forces into Armenia. The Turkish military, needless to say, was forced to stand down. With it's western border thus secured, Armenians continued to concentrate their war effort against Azerbaijan. By the time the Russian brokered ceasefire came into effect in 1994, Armenia had managed to liberate most of Artsakh, including the strategic regions of Karvachar and Berdzor. The following is an excerpt from a 1996 analysis by Dmitri Trenin -
The purely military interest which Russia has had in the Caucasus appears to have receded in importance in comparison with the Imperial or Soviet periods. It is now essentially defensive in nature and precludes any large-scale strategic penetration, including the supply of military assistance, arms supplies, etc., to any third party. To prevent any potential Turkish opportunism at the time of the Soviet Union's disintegration, Marshal Shaposhnikov, then Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the CIS, warned of a "Third World War" if Turkey were to interfere militarily in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. In March 1993, General Grachev, Russia's Defence Minister, made Russia's own military co-operation with Turkey conditional on Ankara's discontinuing its military assistance to Baku.”When NATO's second largest military began mobilizing military assets on the Armenian border to intervene on behalf of Azerbaijan during 1992 and 1993, Moscow threatened Turkey with a world war. Yes, Russians threatened Turks with a world war over a little Armenia that was no longer under Moscow's control. Russia was ready to risk everything for our little homeland in the south Caucasus even when Russia itself was in chaos and was in fact in real danger of falling apart. Soon after the Soviet Union's collapse, Kremlin officials begun seeing Armenia as a strategic Russian stronghold in a highly volatile region threatened by Western oil interests, Wahhabi Islamists, pan-Turkists and Iranian interests. Soon after the Soviet Union's collapse, Armenian officials likewise began realizing that Armenia desperately required Russian protection in a region saturated by Western oil interests, Wahhabi Islamists, pan-Turkists and Iranian interests. A convergence of interests was realized between Moscow and Yerevan and a historic alliance between to brotherly nations recommenced. This is the more-or-less the backdrop within which Russia's 102nd base came into existence in Armenia.
More specifically, The 102nd base officially came into existence through the efforts of a farsighted Russian-Armenian general who had initially gone to Armenia from Russia to help Armenians liberate Artsakh. The base was specifically tasked with not only protecting Russian interests in Armenia but also Armenian interests against Turkey and Azerbaijan. Today, Russia's 102nd base is arguably the single most important military factor in Armenia. The base essentially acts as a tripwire against an invasion from Turkey and NATO. Moreover, by securing Armenia's western borders against Turkey, the base allows Armenia's small and overstretched military to concentrate its limited resources against a more manageable enemy, Azerbaijan. Moreover, starting in 2008/2009 Armenia's military began experiencing a drastic reduction in meeting its yearly conscript quotas. Due to population flight, increased death rate, low births rate and wide-spread military draft avoidance starting in the early 1990s, as of 2010 very low numbers of Armenian men were being recruited into the Armenian armed forces. This alarming situation was behind the reason why Russian-Armenian military officials decided to increase the size of Russia's military presence inside Armenia. In other words, with Armenian men no where in sight, Russian men were being brought into Armenia to supplement Armenia's defenses. The above is the base's great significance but unfortunately it is also something many Armenians today are failing to understand.
Armenians would do well to put aside their empty bravado and come to the sobering realization that Armenia exists today due to Yerevan's close ties to Russia. It's high time for the Armenian house cat to stop seeing a wild lion when looking in the mirror. Armenia lives as a nation-state in the south Caucasus today because of its close ties to the Russian Bear. And the 102nd base is the symbol of the strategic alliance that exists between Russia and Armenia. The 102nd base is also the symbol of Armenia's military deterrence against Turkey's military, one of the world's largest and most aggressive. In the big geopolitical picture of the south Caucasus, Armenia exists today because of the 102nd. Armenia has not suffered the fate of Cyprus, Serbia, Georgia, Syria or the Ukraine because of the 102nd base. Armenia is untouchable by regional predators today because of Russian boots on the ground in Armenia. Unfortunately, however, due to twenty years of Western propaganda, a growing number of Armenians today are either too proud to admit or too politically illiterate to realize the immense value of the 102nd base and the necessity of Russia's military presence in Armenia. Armenians must understand that getting rid of the Russian military presence in Armenia is precisely what Turkish and Anglo-American-Jewish interests are after. The agenda seeks to expel Russia from the Caucasus and make Armenia defenseless. I'd like to once more remind the reader of the following -
George Friedman: “Russian presence in Armenia is bad for Turkey”: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/arye-gut-israeli-jewish-expert-in.html
Turkish Advice: Armenian diaspora, focus on Russia rather than Turkey! http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-diaspora-focus-on-russia-rather-than-turkey
Russian General Leonid Ivashov: Turkey Seeks Separation Between Russia, Armenia: http://news.am/eng/news/36696.html
USA trying to break up Armenian-Russian military relations, general says: http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/a...0005/0040.html
I reiterate: Turks,
Azeris, Georgians, Wahhabi Islamists and Western oil
interests understand that the
102nd base is the single most significant
military factor in all of the south Caucasus. Remember my "Caucasian
table" analogy, where all regional players sit around a table and settle
disputes? Well, the 102nd base is the Russian participant of that table.
God forbid Armenia is ever made to sit at that table without the Russia participant. The last time something like that happened, we suffered a genocide. The 102nd base's powerful
symbolism was the reason why President Putin's 2013 state visit to Armenia commenced at the base. With its recent acquisition of modern weaponry
the base is the region's most capable military outpost. When looked at in conjunction
with the recently upgraded
Russian air force squadron based in Erebuni, the Russian military
presence in
Armenia becomes a formidable first line barrier against all regional antagonists.
The 102nd base in Armenia is thus a thorn in the eyes of Turks, Azeris, Wahhabi Islamists,
Western powers and Armenia's Western-led political opposition because the Russian military presence in Armenia is the only thing standing in the way of their
agenda - the total subjugation of the southern Caucasus and the unhindered
exploitation of Central Asian energy. Any Armenians
that can visualize an Armenian state in the south Caucasus without a
powerful Russian factor at play in Armenia is either stupid or an agent of the West. Those calling for the closure of the 102nd base are enemies of the Armenian state.
For
more insight on the strategic importance the 102nd base in Armenia
please see the following press interview by former military official
Vahan Shirkhanyan -
"Ռազմաբազան կոչված է անվտանգություն ապահովելու համար, լրացնել անվտանգության համակարգը: Այս մասին այսօր լրագրողների հետ հանդիպմանն ասաց ՊՆ նախկին փոխնախարար Վահան Շիրխանյանը՝ պատասխանելով լրագրողի հարցին, թե ինչ նշանակություն ունի ռազմաբազան երկրի համար: Խոսելով Գյումրիում 102-րդ ռազամաբազայի ստեղծումից՝ նա նշեց, որ ռուսական ռազմական բազան ստեղծվել է ավելի շուտ, քան գրանցվել է: «Ադրբեջանի հետ պատերազմին Թուրքիան ևս մասնակցում էր, և մենք պետք է ունենայինք մեր դաշնակցին, և մենք գնացինք ամենաճիշտ ճանապարհով, քանի որ Թուրքիան ուղղակի երեք անգամ որոշել էր Հայաստան մտնել»,-ավելացրեց նախկին փոխնախարարը: Նրա խոսքերով՝ ռուսական ռազմաբազան իր վրա դրած պարտավորությունները կատարում է: Վ. Շիրխանյանի դիտարկումները սահմանային իրավիճակների և ՀԱՊԿ-ի գործունեության մասին մանրամասն` տեսանյութում"Ռազամաբազան իր վրա դրած պարտավորությունները կատարում է. ՊՆ նախկին փոխնախարար: http://www.panorama.am/am/society/2015/01/24/v-shirkhanyan/
With
a few reservations, I also want to bring your attention to the thoughts of
a well known military veteran, radio commentator in Yerevan -
"Առանց 102 րդ ռազմաբազայի այսօր, ցավոք, հնարոր չէ. օդային հարվածներով թուրքերին կարճ ժամանակաշրջանում կհաջողվի գետնին հավասարեցնել ամեն ինչ: Եվ իհարկե, սա մեր ապաշնորհ քաղաքականության հետևանքն է: Սեփական հիմարությունից ու ալարկոտությունից է ռուսից նման կախվածություն առաջացել: Անգամ նորմալ զորակոչ չենք կարողանում ապահովել, իսկ հայկական ավիացիայի մասին խոսելն էլ ամոթ է: 102- րդ ռազմաբազայի և թուրքական դիվերսիաների մասին «Հետախույզի օրագիրը» հաղորդաշարի այս թողարկամ ընթացքում"
Հանե՞լ ռուսական բազան՝ սա հանցավոր մոտեցում է: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEL-dA3rWHE&x-yt-cl=84503534&x-yt-ts=1421914688#t=51
I should also add here that Armenia’s domestic problems have always been being blown out of proportions by an army of Western funded and led agencies and activists with their 24/7 coverage of every single bad thing that happens in Armenia. Uncle Sam's media blitz against Armenia is old and it is the fundamental cause of domestic tensions, hopelessness and mass hysteria in Armenia today. This mass hysteria fomented by Western powers and their lemmings in Armenian society worldwide, as well as our people’s gypsies-like tendencies to seek greener pastures when things are not to their liking, are the real reason why around 40% of Armenians want out of the country. In reality, "corruption" or "injustice" in Armenia is not nearly as bad as what exists in most other developing nations on earth today. But the perception that has been created by Armenia's Western activists is that Armenia is hell on earth. Moreover, expressions of unbridled hate towards Armenian law enforcement bodies, government officials, and Armenians of Artsakh is growing throughout Armenian social media. Alarmingly, destructive criticism, incessant complaining and the dissemination of poisonous news has become a form of sadomasochistic sport for Armenians: The more terrible the news, the more likely it is to travel far and wide throughout Armenian society. Amazingly, Armenians also revel in comparing Armenia with established, old powers such as France, Switzerland and of course the United States. Our idiots shout: "Why can't Armenia be like Switzerland!?" All this self-destructive nonsense is slowly destroying our national fabric and demoralizing our people.
Armenians must be soner enough to understand that the current ruling “regime” is the lesser of all evils in Armenia today. I say this reluctantly because I have no love for our chobans-in-Armani-suits, but I say this because those I see waiting on the political sidelines in Yerevan to take advantage of any instability or regime change in the country are those who directly and indirectly serve Western and Turkish interests. Regardless of whether they realize it or not, their main geostrategic task is to pull Armenia out of the Russian orbit. Therefore, no thanks. I’ll stick with my “oligarchs”. After all, the devil we know is safer bet than the angle we don't. In fact, had it not be to a handful of pro-Russian Armenian officials, primarily the "Karabakh clan", I have no doubt Armenia today would have been a cheep brothel servicing Turks, Azeris, Wahhabi Islamists and Western oil interests. Armenia actually came very near to being a playground for our enemies back in late 1990s, before the parliamentary assassinations on October 27, 1999 put a quick end to it. At the end of the day, what Armenia needs is a sociopolitical evolution, not a Western sponsored revolution.
We cannot allow tensions to escalate
Once more: Geopolitics trumps all other considerations. Regardless of who was behind the Gyumri massacre and why it happened, politicizing the tragedy now will only result in furthering our enemies' longstanding agenda inside Armenia. With that said, many Armenians believe that what happened in Gyumri on January 12 was indeed a deliberate provocation aimed against Russia. If so, we can use our common sense to figure out who the Gyumri massacre benefited the most. Frayed relations with Moscow is not in Yerevan's interest for that is exactly what Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Washington are seeking. Moreover, politicizing this tragedy and dwelling on its emotional aspects will make matters worst not only for the Armenian state but also for the two million-plus Armenians living/working in Russia. Let's recall that most families in Armenia live on remittances Armenian migrant workers send from Russia. We simply cannot afford allowing tensions to escalate into inter-ethnic hatred for a great number of reasons. Sadly, we already have some very troubling news from Russia in this regard -
Новое убийство в Минеральных Водах: http://riafan.ru/203956-zhiteli-minvod-vyishli-na-narodnyiy-shod-v-svyazi-s-ubiystvom-voennogo/Новое убийство в Минеральных Водах: http://rosndp.org/novoe-ubijstvo-v-mineraljnih-vodah.htm
A
group of drunken Armenians have killed a Russian soldier in southern
Russia. The reason? Ostensibly because of what happened in Gyumri. The
local Russian population is understandably fed up, not only because
of this particular murder but because many Armenians in southern Russia tend to be
unruly and disrespectful towards Russians and this isn't the
first time a Russian has been murdered by Armenians. I
am sure this matter will revive talk about Russian skinheads. The rise
of murderous racist groups in Russia during the 1990s was essentially a reflection of the chaos prevalent in post-Soviet Russia and a backlash against how non-Russians (peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asians
in particular) were behaving in the country at the time. Some racist groups in Russia were also being encouraged from abroad. Nonetheless, the racist epidemic in Russia was finally crushed
by Russian authorities in recent years. I have talked about Russia's skinheads in this blog in the past. I have also talked about Hrachya Harutunyan's case.
Nevertheless, fearing tit-for-tat reprisals and growing inter-ethnic hostility, Russian authorities have
done their best to downplay incidents that take place between Russians
and Armenians. This most recent murder of a Russian by Armenians have gotten very little air time in Russia.
Armenians murdering Russians, Russians murdering Armenians is just what Tatars, Turks and Azeris have been dreaming about. We are seeing how we Armenians can be Armenia's worst enemy. We are seeing some of Russia's internal problems. We are also seeing how easy it is to manipulate sheeple in any given nation and make them perform destructive acts.
Armenians murdering Russians, Russians murdering Armenians is just what Tatars, Turks and Azeris have been dreaming about. We are seeing how we Armenians can be Armenia's worst enemy. We are seeing some of Russia's internal problems. We are also seeing how easy it is to manipulate sheeple in any given nation and make them perform destructive acts.
Fearing the rise of an anti-Russian "maidan" in Armenia, some seemingly fringe elements in Russian society have been using social media to come to Valery Permyakov's aide -
АНТИМАЙДАН АРМЕНИЯ | ВАЛЕРИЙ ПЕРМЯКОВ: https://vk.com/antimaidan__zaria
Those behind the social networking site above have been claiming
that the
murder suspect was framed by
Armenia's Western-oriented government. They have been claiming the Gyumri
incident
was an anti-Russian operation conducted on Armenian soil for the sole
purpose of creating a "maidan" in Armenia. They think the
Russian soldier accused of the murders is innocent and thus a symbol of
an oppressed Russia.
They are also calling on the Russian government to invade Armenia in order to protect Russian soldiers and Russian speaking
peoples in the country if need be. If this website is genuine, it's basically a reflection of how aggressive and paranoid
Russia's ultra-right wing population can be and has become in recent
years. In the current state of the
political world, where Russians feel threatened, Russian nationalism
is bound to take on extreme characteristics. After all, the genetic core of Russians consists of Viking traits. Measures must be taken to lessen tensions and remedy overreactions in both nations. The
situation can get worst if law enforcement authorities in both nations
do not crack down on their crazies.
None of this is in Armenia's or Russia's interests. We are only making our enemies happy with all this.
Everything must be done to not further damage Armenian-Russian relations. Yes, Permyakov's actions have dealt Russian-Armenian relations a serious blow. But we must move on. We cannot dwell on the Gyumri tragedy. We have to deescalate tensions. What Armenians need to do is mourn the victims of the Gyumri massacre, especially the young ones, and demand from Armenian and Russian officials that they make an example out of the criminal/criminals involved. Armenians also need to demand this incident be thoroughly investigated and security regulations at the base thoroughly reviewed. Armenians must demand better screening of military personnel being brought into Armenia. Armenians must demand changes to be made where needed. Armenians must demand better accountability from Moscow because the 102nd base is also strategically important to Russia. For their part, Russian officials need to recognize that what happens in Gyumri is a terrible blow to Russian-Armenian relations and it comes at a very sensitive time in the region's political climate. Russian officials must understand that this incident has profoundly upset Armenians worldwide. Russian officials must also understand that the Armenian people's outrage is justified and that the people had no choice but to protest the murders. Something as horrible as this incident could not be taken lightly. When anger and emotions are the main driving force in any situation, objectivity disappears and demands and actions become irrational.
Russian officials must also realize that this incident will now be mercilessly exploited by pro-Western activists inside Armenia and used against Russian interests in the country - if they are seen as being indifferent to Armenian concerns. Therefore, going forward, Moscow's approach to resolving this matter must not make things worst. Russian officials must, as quickly as possible, condemn the murderer to life in prison or execute him, whichever is allowable by applicable law. I hope to see Moscow remedy this matter urgently ultimately for Armenia's sake because at the end of the day it's Armenia that has the most to lose from this situation. And for their part, Armenian officials must silence Armenia's Western-funded jackals. The people on the street, at least in this case, isn't the problem. The problem we have are the Western-backed mercenaries shamelessly and treacherously inciting the people towards violence.
Everything must be done to not further damage Armenian-Russian relations. Yes, Permyakov's actions have dealt Russian-Armenian relations a serious blow. But we must move on. We cannot dwell on the Gyumri tragedy. We have to deescalate tensions. What Armenians need to do is mourn the victims of the Gyumri massacre, especially the young ones, and demand from Armenian and Russian officials that they make an example out of the criminal/criminals involved. Armenians also need to demand this incident be thoroughly investigated and security regulations at the base thoroughly reviewed. Armenians must demand better screening of military personnel being brought into Armenia. Armenians must demand changes to be made where needed. Armenians must demand better accountability from Moscow because the 102nd base is also strategically important to Russia. For their part, Russian officials need to recognize that what happens in Gyumri is a terrible blow to Russian-Armenian relations and it comes at a very sensitive time in the region's political climate. Russian officials must understand that this incident has profoundly upset Armenians worldwide. Russian officials must also understand that the Armenian people's outrage is justified and that the people had no choice but to protest the murders. Something as horrible as this incident could not be taken lightly. When anger and emotions are the main driving force in any situation, objectivity disappears and demands and actions become irrational.
Russian officials must also realize that this incident will now be mercilessly exploited by pro-Western activists inside Armenia and used against Russian interests in the country - if they are seen as being indifferent to Armenian concerns. Therefore, going forward, Moscow's approach to resolving this matter must not make things worst. Russian officials must, as quickly as possible, condemn the murderer to life in prison or execute him, whichever is allowable by applicable law. I hope to see Moscow remedy this matter urgently ultimately for Armenia's sake because at the end of the day it's Armenia that has the most to lose from this situation. And for their part, Armenian officials must silence Armenia's Western-funded jackals. The people on the street, at least in this case, isn't the problem. The problem we have are the Western-backed mercenaries shamelessly and treacherously inciting the people towards violence.
Flaws appearing in the relationship
I
am a bit disappointed with Moscow, but it's not because they have have
not extradited murder suspect Permyakov. I am a big
boy and I understand the nature of politics and international relations. No major power, a superpower nonetheless, will ever handover its service personnel to another country for any reason regardless of the circumstances. This is not a matter of principle, justice or ethics,
this is simply a matter of geopolitics and laws governing international relations. Take a quick look at the
many atrocities carried out by "freedom and democracy loving" US military
personnel around the world. There is not a single instance where there
was even talk about handing US military personnel involved in any crime to any other nation, including
allied nations. It just does not happen, and that is exactly why
Armenia's Western-led political opposition activists are exploiting the situation. Knowing that Moscow will never handover one of its military personnel, they
are demanding his handover, and they are painting Moscow's refusal to do so as an aggressive act. It's merely the opposition's way of exploiting a given circumstance to drive forward a Western agenda. In fact, it's been surreal watching opposition freaks in Armenia demanding Permyakov's extradition. Since
when has Armenia's
Western-led political opposition had any respect or confidence in
Armenia's judiciary or law enforcement bodies? Needless to say, the Western-led political opposition is only
concerned about making Russia look bad in any way possible. Even if Russian officials had immediately extradited Permyakov to Armenia, Uncle Sam's lemming would have found another excuse to
fault Russia with. Ultimately, however, the political opposition is doing what it is doing because Yerevan has allowed them a free hand in the country.
So then, why am I disappointed with Moscow?
Because I fault Moscow for not being more proactive in Armenia's domestic affairs. Because I fault Moscow for not being more inclined to using soft power in Armenia. Because I fault Moscow for not appreciating the power of PR in Armenia. I want to see Moscow being more directly invested in domestic matters in Armenia not because I want Russian meddling in Armenia per se but because Armenia already has - and has had for past twenty years - powerful Western meddling. I want to see the Western agenda in Yerevan offset by increased Russian involvement. With that said, I'm also a bit disappointed that the atrocity in Gyumri did not have immediate resonance in the Kremlin. A high level Russian delegation should have been sent to Yerevan within a day or two after the incident. I understand that Russians officials have very serious problems at hand, not the least of which is the very serious situation in Ukraine. I also know Russians well enough to realize that it's simply not in the Russian character or part of the political culture in Moscow to fall to their knees and immediately apologize for every single tragedy that takes place - simply because there have been so many tragedies both big and small in that part of the world in recent history. Russian emotions are calloused. We see it even in tragedies that occur in Russia. Russians, by nature, are cold. This should not, however, be interpreted as carelessness or indifference or worst. It's simply Russians being Russian. With that said, Russian officials must work to change certain aspect of Russia's political culture because perception is reality. Moscow would do well to learn a few fundamental things about PR from the West. It should be said however that after the initial shock of the incident in Gyumri had dissipated, Russians did begin reaching out and Armenians began seeing that the Russian nation, including Russian officials, were also deeply upset at what had taken place in Gyumri. The following are some interesting comments about the Gyumri incident made by a well known Russian writer and political activist -
So then, why am I disappointed with Moscow?
Because I fault Moscow for not being more proactive in Armenia's domestic affairs. Because I fault Moscow for not being more inclined to using soft power in Armenia. Because I fault Moscow for not appreciating the power of PR in Armenia. I want to see Moscow being more directly invested in domestic matters in Armenia not because I want Russian meddling in Armenia per se but because Armenia already has - and has had for past twenty years - powerful Western meddling. I want to see the Western agenda in Yerevan offset by increased Russian involvement. With that said, I'm also a bit disappointed that the atrocity in Gyumri did not have immediate resonance in the Kremlin. A high level Russian delegation should have been sent to Yerevan within a day or two after the incident. I understand that Russians officials have very serious problems at hand, not the least of which is the very serious situation in Ukraine. I also know Russians well enough to realize that it's simply not in the Russian character or part of the political culture in Moscow to fall to their knees and immediately apologize for every single tragedy that takes place - simply because there have been so many tragedies both big and small in that part of the world in recent history. Russian emotions are calloused. We see it even in tragedies that occur in Russia. Russians, by nature, are cold. This should not, however, be interpreted as carelessness or indifference or worst. It's simply Russians being Russian. With that said, Russian officials must work to change certain aspect of Russia's political culture because perception is reality. Moscow would do well to learn a few fundamental things about PR from the West. It should be said however that after the initial shock of the incident in Gyumri had dissipated, Russians did begin reaching out and Armenians began seeing that the Russian nation, including Russian officials, were also deeply upset at what had taken place in Gyumri. The following are some interesting comments about the Gyumri incident made by a well known Russian writer and political activist -
However, expressing constructive thoughts, mourning and being apologetic is not merely enough in this case. Russian officials must understand that they can have serious problems in Armenia and in the south Caucasus one day if they neglect to take Armenian concerns seriously. Yes, Russia has been a lifeline for Armenia and Armenians are thankful for that. But Moscow has also neglected Armenia in some regards.Николай Стариков 25 января 2015 (Познавательное ТВ, Николай Стариков): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9lrDzVPJpA
The lack of attention Armenia gets from Moscow is perhaps the only, albeit major flaw in Russian-Armenian alliance. The vacuum that Russia has left in Armenia is being filled by Westerners. For example: While Armenians regularly get to see US ambassadors to Armenia engaging in public outreach, sightings of Russian ambassadors to Armenia continue being very rare occurrences. Yes, I realize that it's just not in the Russian style to bring Armenians and Azeris together to dance like monkeys and make Armenians think they are happy when they are singing foreign songs, but Russian officials need to somehow figure out a way to be seen in public in Armenia more often and the Russian embassy in Yerevan needs to start doing some outreach programs. Because, as I said, perception is reality.
Nevertheless, I blame both Russians and Armenians for this situation.
But I put most of the blame on Armenians. I say this because I realize that Russia is a bit more important to Armenia than Armenia is to Russia. Despite what our nationalist nutjobs want us to believe, Russia can figure out a way to survive without an allied Armenia. Despite how hard I try, however, I cannot imagine a scenario where Armenia would be able to survive in the south Caucasus without help from Russia. So, it's up to Armenians to place emphasis on becoming a noticeable presence in Moscow. It's up to Armenians to exploit the full potentials of Russia's alliance.
Regarding Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan: Again, I primarily blame the Armenian side. Russia is pursuing its interests. For them, it's a matter of realpolitik. In other words: Moscow naturally wants to keep Azerbaijan within its orbit as well, and it realizes that if it does not sell arms to Baku others will. Those who have a healthy understanding of international relations and military matters, understand that Russian arms supplies to Baku is not an anti-Armenian measure. Those who understand the nature of geopolitics, understand that it is better for Baku to get its arms from Russia than from Israel or Turkey. But, as we all know, Russian arms sales to Baku has gotten a lot of bad press throughout Armenian society. Russophobia in Armenia has increased as a result. This is ultimately due to Yerevan's failure to explain such political matters to its citizenry. I would also add that had Armenian officials been a discernible presence in Moscow, the nature or scale of Russian arms supplies to Baku may have been different. So, instead of properly conveying Armenian concerns to top level Russian officials through concerted lobbying efforts in Moscow, we have been fear-mongering about Russia, and as we recently saw, some of us have been burning Russian flags in front of the Russian embassy in Armenia. Knowing Russian character, this is the last thing we should be doing. But, Armenians we will Armenians.
Armenians admire Jews. Armenians complain that Armenians are not like Jews... But when the time comes for Armenians to act like Jews, Armenians act like Arabs. Go figure...
Armenians have failed to become a presence inside Moscow (perhaps assuming it's not necessary since Russia is a strategic ally) and have instead concentrated on establishing closer relations with Western bodies. Russians, for their part, have neglected little Armenia, assuming that Armenia is an ally and will remain an ally no matter what Moscow does. Essentially, both sides are sure of each others fidelity, both sides are neglecting each other as a result. Therefore, both sides are fundamentally wrong in my opinion. Armenia must place all its emphasis and its limited resources on establishing an effective and permanent presence inside the walls of the Kremlin. As I have said in the past: While Armenia's military is its tactical advantage on the battlefield, Armenia's alliance with the Russian Bear has to be made its strategic advantage on the world stage. Russians must realize that Armenia's internal problems are being exploited by Western/Turkish interests and used against Russia's presence in Armenia. Russian officials must realize that the situation in Armenia may get worst in the future because Western propaganda machine is targeting Armenia's youth.
Moscow needs to get proactive in Yerevan because Armenian officials are too incompetent and/or too corrupt to do what is in the best interests of Armenia or of Russian-Armenian relations. Moscow must understand that simply controlling strategic sectors in Armenia is not enough for securing Russian interests for a country like Armenia. I would therefore like to see Russian officials take the initiative in this regard because I do not have much confidence in Armenians to get the job done.
Armenia is a nation today that is suffering terribly from a deficit of farsighted officials, professionals, intellectuals and pragmatic nationalists. Shortsighted politics is the fundamental problem with Armenians today. We Armenians, at our very core, are the ultimate survivalists. We are programmed only think in the short-term - how to survive today's problems, how to weather the today's storm. This trait (learned during the past one thousand-plus years) is perhaps why we have had short periods of independence and long periods of living as subject peoples. The reigns of power in Armenia today are in the hands of illiterate peasants, greedy monopolists and Western mercenaries. There is a virtual absence of sober-minded, farsighted or pragmatic nationalism in Armenian society today. The modern Armenian is too spineless, too selfish, too ostentatious, too arrogant, too egotistic, too emotional, too reactionary, too materialistic, too moneygrubbing, too clannish, too politically ignorant and too enthralled by Western fairytales to do things that are actually in the long-term interests of the Armenian homeland. In fact, for a few dollars - or a Green Card - the typical Armenian in Armenia today is fully capable, wittingly or unwittingly, of betraying his or her homeland. Sadly, the overall situation is even sadder in the once proud Armenian Diaspora. The typical Diasporan today, the vast majority perhaps, is too busy assimilating in their beloved lands where - "when two of them meet... see if they will not create a New Armenia". And for the increasingly small numbers of Diasporans who have anything to do with the Armenian homeland, Armenia has unfortunately become something like an exotic zoo or a open air laboratory where to concoct volatile sociopolitical experiments.
I
know they have a lot of their hands, but I hope Russian officials
eventually come to their good senses and begin to better appreciate the strategic importance of Armenia. Although
I realize that it's primarily the responsibility of us Armenians to put Armenia in
order, I also realize that the entire political
landscape in Armenia today is rotten to the core and needs to be thoroughly overhauled. And we Armenians in general seem incapable of nation-building at this stage of our people's development. We must
therefore be spoon fed. The Armenian government, the Armenian people, simply do not
have what it takes to be able to resist Western machinations. Armenia is too young and too inexperienced to resist the masters of deception and manipulation. Armenia needs less exposure to Western powers because less exposure means less risk. I hope to see Russian officials come to
the realization that Armenia's sociopolitical health and well-being is beneficial
for Russian interests. I hope to see Moscow clean house in Yerevan before Armenia falls apart from within. Armenia
needs direct Russian support. Armenian officials must begin formulating long-term strategies for the establishment of better working relationships with Iran, India and China. Armenian officials must begin formulating long-term strategies to exploit the potentials of Russia's alliance with Armenia. Yet Yerevan is still continuing its rudderless politics of ass kissing in the West. The following is the latest brilliant move by Armenian officials -
Since we are on the topic of Armenian political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior, I also like to point out that Armenians are panicking once more about Moscow's attempt to move closer to Ankara - at Armenia's expense! They point to the recent natural gas agreement Moscow reached with Ankara as "evidence" of this impending catastrophe. Apparently, these people think Syria is strategically much more important to Russia than Armenia - since for the past four years Russia has resisted all attempts by Western powers, Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to abandon Syria. Yet, these people think Moscow will now simply abandon Armenia for a few billion dollars worth of natural gas to Ankara... Brilliant reasoning! Instead of feeling confident that due to its growing dependency on Moscow Ankara will no longer be able to have any political designs within areas of Russian influence (such as the south Caucasus) our peasantry is, as usual, panicking that Moscow is about to betray Armenia. Consequently, there are public voices once more calling Armenia's "alliance" with Russia into question. And, believe it or not, there are even voices warning about a possible partitioning of Armenia between "neocolonialist" Russia and Turkey -
The only thing I have to say about this typical Armenian nonsense is this: If Russia and Turkey ever became BFF and decide to partition Armenia
or worst, nobody will stop them from doing so, nobody is capable of stopping them from doing so. So pray it does not happen. Actually, work on making sure something like that does not happen! Sitting on one's ass and complaining about this or that has seemingly become a national sport among Armenians. If this is how Armenians have always been, no wonder we have not been able to have long periods of statehood. As far as the modern Armenian is concerned: One must travel into the deepest African jungle or visit the remotest
Arabian desert village to find a tribe of people more politically
illiterate. And we want Russians to take us seriously? And we want Russians to trust us? And we want Russian to treat us with white gloves? And we complain when Russia sells arms to Baku? The disappointment I sometimes feel towards my countrymen is profound.
At a time when the entire region within which Armenia is unfortunately located in is ready to explode, the ONLY nation that has the interest - and the capability - to come to Armenia's help if need be is being alienated by our chobans-in-Armani-suits. When the proverbial shit hits the fan in the south Caucasus, the ONLY nation that has an interest in keeping Armenia alive is Russia. If for some reason Russia pulls its protective hand away from Armenia one day and Turkish/Azeri forces are allowed to gather on the Armenian border, NOT ONE of our flag burning Russophobes will rush to the border to defend Armenia. If Russia washes its hands from Armenia and Moscow gives the green light to Turkish/Azeri forces to do as they please, surely not the West - but not even a million of our tough talking "fedayees" would be able to stop Armenia from being overrun.
Many Armenians worry that we are putting all our eggs in the Russian basket. First of all, Yerevan has not put all its eggs in one basket. With that said, we need to realize that don't have many eggs to begin with. We must therefore pick the best possible basket for our few eggs to survive in. After all, isn't the survival of our eggs the main point of basket diversification? Realistically, however, Russia is the only basket that offers security for our eggs. Realistically, we have only one basket for our eggs. Look at it this way: If God forbid there is another terrible revolution in Russia and Russian troops suddenly withdrew from the south Caucasus, do we really think that having eggs in Western baskets is going to help Armenia in any way? A century ago our foolhardy revolutionaries thought that by pandering to Western powers, Western power will come to Armenia's help in times of need. Many of our compatriots even fought for French and British powers. Many of our compatriots at the time also fought against Czarist Russia. But when the shit hit the fan back then and Russian forces withdrew from the south Caucasus, did Western powers rush to Armenia's assistance when Turks began ravaging Western Armenia? No, they did not. Appealed for help by Armenians, Western powers said their ships "couldn't climb the mountains" to save Armenians. Then, quite literally in the middle of the night, the French unexpectedly and treacherously abandoned Armenian Kilikia to the genocidal Turks.
So folks, I think one genocide is enough. Don't you? After all, one has to be an utter fool to think the West has not changed.
Did Western powers come to Cyprus' assistance when Turkey invaded? Was it the West that threatened Turkey with a world war back in 1993 when Ankara had massed troops on Armenia's borders? Has the West stopped Turkish aggression against Kurds? Has the West stopped Turkish aggression against Syria? Has the West done anything about Turkish support for ISIS? Has the West come to the assistance of its "moderate rebels" in Syria? Was the West been able to stop the ethnic cleansing of Yezdis in Iraq? Did the West protect their favorite dictator in Tbilisi from the Russian Bear in 2008? Has the Western been able to stop Ukraine's slide into war and chaos? Was the West able to stop Russia's annexation of Crimea? Has the West been able to stop the advance of Russian-back rebels in eastern Ukraine?
When push comes to shove the West is impotent at best, treacherous at worst. Therefore, no surprise that the Vice President of the US apologizes to Turkey and Turks respond by telling him to siktir. Also, no surprise that the British "royal heir" will be in Gallipoli this April 24 to personally kiss some Turkish ass.
The point I'm making is this: Armenian eggs in the Western basket does not do Armenia any good in any way. It's pointless and it's a waste of time. It's self-deception to believe otherwise. We need to pick the basket that promises the most security for our eggs. That basket, the ONLY basket is Russia.
Everything must be done to not further damage Armenian-Russian relations. Everything must be done not to allow Armenia's pro-Western mercenaries to spread Russophobia within Armenian society. I reiterate: Armenia today survives in the south Caucasus because of its alliance to Russia. Armenia's alliance with Russia is the number one priority of the Armenian people. At the end of the day, Armenians must be rational enough and sober enough to understand that in reality we do not have any other baskets to place our eggs into. If the Russian Bear for one reason or another turns against Armenia, Armenia will cease to exist once more - or simply become subservient to Turkey. When the proverbial shit hits the fan in Armenia (and that is where it may be heading) and Armenia continues to be economically and politically vulnerable, forget about Russian nationalists asking President Putin to invade Armenia, there will be many Armenians - such as myself - BEGGING President Putin to invade Armenia. We don't want it to get to that point, which is why we need to be lobbying - or ass kissing, if you will - in Moscow, not in Washington. Due to Yerevan's complimentary politics Armenia is being torn between two super powers. When you try to please two competitive superpowers, no one, including yourself, ends up happy. Yerevan's middle of the road politics has stagnated Armenia economically and sown the seeds of unrest sociopolitically. This is why Yerevan needs to stop its foolish appeasement policies and begin formulating a serious, farsighted, realpolitik based foreign policy for Armenia. Yerevan's needs to concentrate on more effectively exploiting the opportunities Russia's alliance provides. Yerevan needs to place emphasis on establishing deeper economic and political cooperation with Iran, India and China..
What happened in Gyumri has empowered dark forces working against Russia and Armenia. This tragedy has once again revealed Russia's many vulnerabilities. This tragedy has once again revealed the Armenian government's incompetence. This tragedy has once again revealed Armenia's Western-led political opposition's irrationality and treachery. All in all, what happened in Gyumri on January 12 is a tragedy on many levels, and the damage is has caused to Russian-Armenian relations will reverberate for many, many years to come. We must do our best not to make matters worst.
Armenians need to put aside their political differences, diasporan mentalities and Cold War era derived biases and realize that the world is heading toward very tumultuous times, and also realize that Armenia is not ready to meet challenges that await it. As I alluded to earlier in this commentary: The specter of a world war hangs over humanity and our small, impoverished, remote, landlocked and inexperienced Armenia is surrounded by voracious predators. This is therefore not the time - and the south Caucasus is definitely not the place - for a regime change or for Russophobia! This is the time for Armenians worldwide to rally around the Armenian state. This is the time to strengthen Armenia by strengthening Yerevan's ties with Moscow. This is the time to lessen Armenia's exposure to Western powers (because less exposure means less risk). The key to Armenia's national security lies in Moscow, not in pathetically pandering to Western powers. The key to peace and prosperity in the south Caucasus lies in Pax Russica, not in Yerevan's failed complimentary politics. We Armenians better get our act together because if we don't, we will lose Artsakh, or worst.
In addition to news articles I normally post to supplement my blog commentary, this time I have also posted some links to previous blog commentaries regarding Russian-Armenian relations. Russian-Armenian relations remain the number one priority of the Armenian nation today and will remain so for the foreseeable future. We Armenians urgently need to better understand the relationship's importance and better appreciate the potential it holds for Armenia. Please make time and read them.
Arevordi,
January, 2015
PACE Vote: Armenia abstains as Russia stripped of rights in Strasbourg: http://www.armenianow.com/news/60175/armenia_pace_vote_russia_azerbaijan
Once
again we are seeing Yerevan's
disastrous "complimentary politics" at work. As you can see, Armenia abstained from
voting in an anti-Russian resolution at PACE - while Azerbaijan voted against the anti-Russian resolution. Once more we see Azeris
cleverly pandering to Moscow while our idiots continue foolishly
kissing Uncle Sam's ass. What are Armenian officials hoping to gain my
angering Moscow and impressing Western powers? A few extra dollars for their pockets? A few more NGOs? A few more Western mercenaries? Deeper financial servitude to Western banks? So that when Yerevan does not behave well in the future, they can put sanctions on Armenia as well? It's not like Armenia's vote
would have mattered in the final outcome anyway. Why couldn't Armenian officials cast the vote in favor of their only ally? Why are we making Azeris look smarter than us? This PACE vote was
actually quite revealing of the directionless, clueless political culture prevalent in Yerevan today. And as bad as this was, it was not nearly as bad as Armenian troops joining Turks, Azeris and Westerners to conduct military exercises aimed
against Russian actions in Ukraine -
Just think: How would we Armenians have reacted if Russian troops joined Azeri and Turkish troops in Azerbaijan to conduct military exercises aimed against Artsakh?NATO, Ukraine join military exercise in Bulgaria: http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=237082
Since we are on the topic of Armenian political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior, I also like to point out that Armenians are panicking once more about Moscow's attempt to move closer to Ankara - at Armenia's expense! They point to the recent natural gas agreement Moscow reached with Ankara as "evidence" of this impending catastrophe. Apparently, these people think Syria is strategically much more important to Russia than Armenia - since for the past four years Russia has resisted all attempts by Western powers, Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to abandon Syria. Yet, these people think Moscow will now simply abandon Armenia for a few billion dollars worth of natural gas to Ankara... Brilliant reasoning! Instead of feeling confident that due to its growing dependency on Moscow Ankara will no longer be able to have any political designs within areas of Russian influence (such as the south Caucasus) our peasantry is, as usual, panicking that Moscow is about to betray Armenia. Consequently, there are public voices once more calling Armenia's "alliance" with Russia into question. And, believe it or not, there are even voices warning about a possible partitioning of Armenia between "neocolonialist" Russia and Turkey -
Armenia wary of new Russo-Turkish alliance based on neocolonialist policies: http://www.armenianlife.com/2015/01/27/analysis-armenia-wary-of-new-russo-turkish-alliance-based-on-neocolonialist-policies
At a time when the entire region within which Armenia is unfortunately located in is ready to explode, the ONLY nation that has the interest - and the capability - to come to Armenia's help if need be is being alienated by our chobans-in-Armani-suits. When the proverbial shit hits the fan in the south Caucasus, the ONLY nation that has an interest in keeping Armenia alive is Russia. If for some reason Russia pulls its protective hand away from Armenia one day and Turkish/Azeri forces are allowed to gather on the Armenian border, NOT ONE of our flag burning Russophobes will rush to the border to defend Armenia. If Russia washes its hands from Armenia and Moscow gives the green light to Turkish/Azeri forces to do as they please, surely not the West - but not even a million of our tough talking "fedayees" would be able to stop Armenia from being overrun.
Many Armenians worry that we are putting all our eggs in the Russian basket. First of all, Yerevan has not put all its eggs in one basket. With that said, we need to realize that don't have many eggs to begin with. We must therefore pick the best possible basket for our few eggs to survive in. After all, isn't the survival of our eggs the main point of basket diversification? Realistically, however, Russia is the only basket that offers security for our eggs. Realistically, we have only one basket for our eggs. Look at it this way: If God forbid there is another terrible revolution in Russia and Russian troops suddenly withdrew from the south Caucasus, do we really think that having eggs in Western baskets is going to help Armenia in any way? A century ago our foolhardy revolutionaries thought that by pandering to Western powers, Western power will come to Armenia's help in times of need. Many of our compatriots even fought for French and British powers. Many of our compatriots at the time also fought against Czarist Russia. But when the shit hit the fan back then and Russian forces withdrew from the south Caucasus, did Western powers rush to Armenia's assistance when Turks began ravaging Western Armenia? No, they did not. Appealed for help by Armenians, Western powers said their ships "couldn't climb the mountains" to save Armenians. Then, quite literally in the middle of the night, the French unexpectedly and treacherously abandoned Armenian Kilikia to the genocidal Turks.
So folks, I think one genocide is enough. Don't you? After all, one has to be an utter fool to think the West has not changed.
Did Western powers come to Cyprus' assistance when Turkey invaded? Was it the West that threatened Turkey with a world war back in 1993 when Ankara had massed troops on Armenia's borders? Has the West stopped Turkish aggression against Kurds? Has the West stopped Turkish aggression against Syria? Has the West done anything about Turkish support for ISIS? Has the West come to the assistance of its "moderate rebels" in Syria? Was the West been able to stop the ethnic cleansing of Yezdis in Iraq? Did the West protect their favorite dictator in Tbilisi from the Russian Bear in 2008? Has the Western been able to stop Ukraine's slide into war and chaos? Was the West able to stop Russia's annexation of Crimea? Has the West been able to stop the advance of Russian-back rebels in eastern Ukraine?
When push comes to shove the West is impotent at best, treacherous at worst. Therefore, no surprise that the Vice President of the US apologizes to Turkey and Turks respond by telling him to siktir. Also, no surprise that the British "royal heir" will be in Gallipoli this April 24 to personally kiss some Turkish ass.
The point I'm making is this: Armenian eggs in the Western basket does not do Armenia any good in any way. It's pointless and it's a waste of time. It's self-deception to believe otherwise. We need to pick the basket that promises the most security for our eggs. That basket, the ONLY basket is Russia.
Everything must be done to not further damage Armenian-Russian relations. Everything must be done not to allow Armenia's pro-Western mercenaries to spread Russophobia within Armenian society. I reiterate: Armenia today survives in the south Caucasus because of its alliance to Russia. Armenia's alliance with Russia is the number one priority of the Armenian people. At the end of the day, Armenians must be rational enough and sober enough to understand that in reality we do not have any other baskets to place our eggs into. If the Russian Bear for one reason or another turns against Armenia, Armenia will cease to exist once more - or simply become subservient to Turkey. When the proverbial shit hits the fan in Armenia (and that is where it may be heading) and Armenia continues to be economically and politically vulnerable, forget about Russian nationalists asking President Putin to invade Armenia, there will be many Armenians - such as myself - BEGGING President Putin to invade Armenia. We don't want it to get to that point, which is why we need to be lobbying - or ass kissing, if you will - in Moscow, not in Washington. Due to Yerevan's complimentary politics Armenia is being torn between two super powers. When you try to please two competitive superpowers, no one, including yourself, ends up happy. Yerevan's middle of the road politics has stagnated Armenia economically and sown the seeds of unrest sociopolitically. This is why Yerevan needs to stop its foolish appeasement policies and begin formulating a serious, farsighted, realpolitik based foreign policy for Armenia. Yerevan's needs to concentrate on more effectively exploiting the opportunities Russia's alliance provides. Yerevan needs to place emphasis on establishing deeper economic and political cooperation with Iran, India and China..
What happened in Gyumri has empowered dark forces working against Russia and Armenia. This tragedy has once again revealed Russia's many vulnerabilities. This tragedy has once again revealed the Armenian government's incompetence. This tragedy has once again revealed Armenia's Western-led political opposition's irrationality and treachery. All in all, what happened in Gyumri on January 12 is a tragedy on many levels, and the damage is has caused to Russian-Armenian relations will reverberate for many, many years to come. We must do our best not to make matters worst.
Armenians need to put aside their political differences, diasporan mentalities and Cold War era derived biases and realize that the world is heading toward very tumultuous times, and also realize that Armenia is not ready to meet challenges that await it. As I alluded to earlier in this commentary: The specter of a world war hangs over humanity and our small, impoverished, remote, landlocked and inexperienced Armenia is surrounded by voracious predators. This is therefore not the time - and the south Caucasus is definitely not the place - for a regime change or for Russophobia! This is the time for Armenians worldwide to rally around the Armenian state. This is the time to strengthen Armenia by strengthening Yerevan's ties with Moscow. This is the time to lessen Armenia's exposure to Western powers (because less exposure means less risk). The key to Armenia's national security lies in Moscow, not in pathetically pandering to Western powers. The key to peace and prosperity in the south Caucasus lies in Pax Russica, not in Yerevan's failed complimentary politics. We Armenians better get our act together because if we don't, we will lose Artsakh, or worst.
In addition to news articles I normally post to supplement my blog commentary, this time I have also posted some links to previous blog commentaries regarding Russian-Armenian relations. Russian-Armenian relations remain the number one priority of the Armenian nation today and will remain so for the foreseeable future. We Armenians urgently need to better understand the relationship's importance and better appreciate the potential it holds for Armenia. Please make time and read them.
Arevordi,
January, 2015
***
Caucasus Update I (August, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-result-of-russias-growing-military.html
Caucasus Update II (August, 2010) : http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/caucasus-update-part-ii-russias.html
Caucasus Update III (August, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-we-armenians-watched-president-of.html
Caucasus Update IV (August, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/although-bit-measured-in-other-words.html
Caucasus Update V (August, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/many-armenians-today-no-longer-seem.html
Armenia, Russia must have common border (November, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/since-medvedevs-historic-visit-to.html
Russia Cannot Afford to Lose Armenia (December, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/12/russia-cannot-afford-to-lose-armenia.htmlIs Russophilia Hindering Armenia? (October, 2011): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-russophilia-hindering-armenia.html
Russian expert: U.S. ousting Russia from Armenia (October, 2011): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2011/10/russian-expert-us-ousting-russia-from.html
New Western led Opposition Slogan in Armenia: "Russia wants Armenia without Armenians!" (October, 2011): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2011/10/russia-wants-armenia-without-armenians.html
Can Armenia exploit Russian actions in the Caucasus? (April, 2012): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/04/can-armenia-exploit-russias-action-plan.html
Russian military buildup in Caucasus, Russian anti-terror troops arrive in Syria, Armenia moves closer to Russia (March, 2012): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/03/russian-anti-terror-troops-arrive-in.html
Russia Hints at Intervention in Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict (July, 2012): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/07/russia-hints-at-intervention-in-armenia.html
Unprecedented Russia-led CSTO War Games in Armenia (September, 2012): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/09/unprecedented-russia-led-war-games_20.html
Looking at US-Turkish relations and Russian-Armenian relations (November, 2012): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/11/us-working-to-strengthen-relations-with.html
Moscow Warning Armenia Over European Integration Drive (July, 2013): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2013/07/moscow-warning-armenia-over-european.html
Armenians want to know, is Russia a friend or foe? (August, 2013): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2013/08/is-russia-friend-or-foe-august-2013.html
President Putin's visit bolsters Armenia politically, economically and militarily (December, 2013): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2013/12/president-putins-visit-bolsters-armenia.html
Armenia set to become a founding member in the Eurasian Union (October, 2014): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2014/10/armenia-set-to-become-founding-member_31.html
I wish you all a very Happy Sarikamish (January, 2015 ): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2015/01/i-wish-you-all-very-happy-sarikamish.html
***
Sergey Lavrov: Attempts to politicize Gyumri tragedy are inadmissible
Last
week’s outrageous massacre in the Armenian city of Gyumri, to
which Russian soldier Valery Permyakov has confessed, will not affect
relations between Russia and Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov said on Wednesday, TASS reported. “Everything necessary will be
done for the investigation of this
tragedy,” Lavrov said speaking at his annual news conference. “I am sure
that Russian-Armenian relations will not be harmed.” The top Russian
diplomat also said that attempts of politicizing the Gyumri tragedy were
inadmissible. “There are attempts to politicize [the incident] and they
come not
from Yerevan, not from Armenia,” Lavrov said. “This is inadmissible and
unworthy of the Armenian people, who would never yield to such
provocations.”
According to investigators, on January 12 Private Valery
Permyakov, a soldier of the Russian military base in Armenia, left his
post without permission carrying arms and cartridges. Later on, he broke into a private house in Gyumri and shot dead a
family of six, including a two-year child, and wounded a six-month baby
who later died in hospital. Permyakov left his uniform and footwear with badges and his
submachine gun and munitions and fled the scene. He was arrested on the
same day by Russian border guards while trying to cross Armenia’s border
to Turkey and confessed to the crime.
Ombudsman: Anti-Russian
hysteria around Giumry tragedy in interest of Armenia-Russia
relationship opponents only
Anti-Russian
hysteria around Giumry tragedy is irrelevant and is only in the
interest of the opponents of Armenia-Russia relations, executive
director of “Against Lawlessness” NGO and the first ombudsman of Armenia
Larisa Alaverdyan said, as cited by Novosti-Armenia.
Not an emotional, but a realistic approach should be taken in this
issue, she said. According to the expert, the current situation is
within comfort zone of Azerbaijan and Turkey and in line with
anti-Russian sentiments of the West.
Alaveryan said the events may have had political background that relied on high emotionality of the Armenian nation.
It is unacceptable to politicize the issue demand severing of all
relations with Russia, she said. The opponents of Armenia-Russia
relations may take the advantage of the tragic events, she said.
Alaverdyan said she shares Giumry people’s anger feelings, but supports tough development scenarios.
According to the ex-ombudsman, the anger was caused by the
unacceptable sluggishness the Armenian authorizes responded with to the
case.
Alaverdyan said a multi-sided and detailed investigation is needed
into Permyakov’s case as many of the alleged aspects give rise to
doubts. Alaverdyan stressed the investigation, the trial and the service
of the sentence should take place in the territory of Armenia, having
in mind the gravity of the crime and the political background. Russian
agencies may provide their support on various issues, she said.
The tense situation in Giumry occurred after a family of six,
Serezha Avetisyan (born in 1961), Hasmik Avetisyan (born 1959), Aida
Avetisyan (1979), Armen Avetisyan (1981), Araksia Poghosyan (1990) and
two-year old Hasmik Avetisyan were fatally shot in Giumry on Monday
morning. The only who survived was grandchild Serezha Avetisyan who was
operated and is currently in intensive care unit at St. Astvatsamayr
Medical Center in Yerevan. According to the preliminary information, the
suspect is Russian military base conscript Valery Permyakov who was
detained while trying to cross Armenia’s border into Turkey on January
13 and admitted guilt.
According to the most recent information, 14 people were injured,
including three policemen who are still in medical institutions, and 13
detained in Giumry clashes.
- See more at:
http://arka.am/en/news/politics/anti_russian_hysteria_around_giumry_tragedy_in_interest_of_armenia_russia_relationship_opponents_only+-+ex-ombudsman/#sthash.0suM8z64.dpuf
Anti-Russian hysteria around Giumry tragedy is irrelevant and is only in the interest of the opponents of Armenia-Russia relations, executive director of “Against Lawlessness” NGO and the first ombudsman of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan said, as cited by Novosti-Armenia. Not an emotional, but a realistic approach should be taken in this issue, she said. According to the expert, the current situation is within comfort zone of Azerbaijan and Turkey and in line with anti-Russian sentiments of the West.
Alaveryan said the events may have had political background that relied on high emotionality of the Armenian nation. It is unacceptable to politicize the issue demand severing of all relations with Russia, she said. The opponents of Armenia-Russia relations may take the advantage of the tragic events, she said. Alaverdyan said she shares Giumry people’s anger feelings, but supports tough development scenarios.
According to the ex-ombudsman, the anger was caused by the unacceptable sluggishness the Armenian authorizes responded with to the case. Alaverdyan said a multi-sided and detailed investigation is needed into Permyakov’s case as many of the alleged aspects give rise to doubts. Alaverdyan stressed the investigation, the trial and the service of the sentence should take place in the territory of Armenia, having in mind the gravity of the crime and the political background. Russian agencies may provide their support on various issues, she said.
The tense situation in Giumry occurred after a family of six, Serezha Avetisyan (born in 1961), Hasmik Avetisyan (born 1959), Aida Avetisyan (1979), Armen Avetisyan (1981), Araksia Poghosyan (1990) and two-year old Hasmik Avetisyan were fatally shot in Giumry on Monday morning. The only who survived was grandchild Serezha Avetisyan who was operated and is currently in intensive care unit at St. Astvatsamayr Medical Center in Yerevan. According to the preliminary information, the suspect is Russian military base conscript Valery Permyakov who was detained while trying to cross Armenia’s border into Turkey on January 13 and admitted guilt. According to the most recent information, 14 people were injured, including three policemen who are still in medical institutions, and 13 detained in Giumry clashes.
Source: http://arka.am/en/news/politics
Tevan Poghosyan: Armenia’s enemies could take advantage of situation
In an interview with Tert.am, Heritage parliamentary group
member Tevan Poghosyan commented on the Gyumri tragedy and events in
Yerevan. He noted that Armenia’s society and authorities failed to prevent that situation by coordinated actions. Asked if Armenia’s law-enforcement agencies should consider a
possibility of attempted destabilization of the situation in the country
amid the public protests and indignation at the massacre in Gyumri, Mr
Poghosyan said:
“Certainly all the versions must be considered. The motive for the crime is not clear now. So the law-enforcers should most seriously consider the possibility of a premeditated crime to escalate tension in Armenia and provoke popular hostility.
“And even if a transparent or impartial investigation reveals it was not a motive for the crime, I feel regret that our society, well aware of the possibility of certain forces making use of it, failed to be on the alert, while our law-enforcers failed to properly perform their duties to prevent the incidents.
“We, both society and the government, could have taken necessary measures to prevent such a situation. The head of the Shirak diocese was right when he said that the criminal was calm, with a public defender attached to him, while Armenians were breaking one another’s scull. Why Armenians raise their hands to one another in Yerevan or in Gyumri? We should have prevented such situations.
“The authorities should have informed the public of the developments from the very first day. Yesterday, Armenia’s prosecutor general was in Gyumri all day along. In the latter half of the day he gave promise to Gyumri residents, reminding them he had a family and was well aware of everything.
“Policemen should have talked to Gyumri residents. People raised questions, without getting answers. So they had to find them. Of course, many people could have taken advantage of the situation. Being well aware of that, we must realize the necessity of responding during the very first day. And if mourning had been declared the first day, it would have been a political ‘message’ as well.
“We must realize that our enemies are not asleep and trying to take advantage of instability in Armenia. Although it was an unprecedented incident, we could never predict its consequences and reaction to it. But we should have been able to take certain measures and conduct negotiations.”
Source: http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/01/16/tevan-poghosyan/1561399
“Certainly all the versions must be considered. The motive for the crime is not clear now. So the law-enforcers should most seriously consider the possibility of a premeditated crime to escalate tension in Armenia and provoke popular hostility.
“And even if a transparent or impartial investigation reveals it was not a motive for the crime, I feel regret that our society, well aware of the possibility of certain forces making use of it, failed to be on the alert, while our law-enforcers failed to properly perform their duties to prevent the incidents.
“We, both society and the government, could have taken necessary measures to prevent such a situation. The head of the Shirak diocese was right when he said that the criminal was calm, with a public defender attached to him, while Armenians were breaking one another’s scull. Why Armenians raise their hands to one another in Yerevan or in Gyumri? We should have prevented such situations.
“The authorities should have informed the public of the developments from the very first day. Yesterday, Armenia’s prosecutor general was in Gyumri all day along. In the latter half of the day he gave promise to Gyumri residents, reminding them he had a family and was well aware of everything.
“Policemen should have talked to Gyumri residents. People raised questions, without getting answers. So they had to find them. Of course, many people could have taken advantage of the situation. Being well aware of that, we must realize the necessity of responding during the very first day. And if mourning had been declared the first day, it would have been a political ‘message’ as well.
“We must realize that our enemies are not asleep and trying to take advantage of instability in Armenia. Although it was an unprecedented incident, we could never predict its consequences and reaction to it. But we should have been able to take certain measures and conduct negotiations.”
Source: http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/01/16/tevan-poghosyan/1561399
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan: No need to politicize Gyumri killings
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the victims. The First Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Arkady Bakhin is also present here. The Russian defense minister and his deputies spoke with me, underlining the importance of consistent and legal work. Investigators will reveal everything and those guilty will be punished,” Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told reporters today. “Yet I believe that there is no need to politicize that incident and look for notes of worsening of Armenian-Russian relations in it. We have quite a high level of political relations with Russia, and our cooperation in the military sphere is also on a high level,” the defense minister said. Six member of a family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in Gyumri on January 12. A six-month-old boy was hospitalized in very critical condition. Valery Permyakov, a soldier of the Russian 102nd military base, is suspected of the crime. He was detained.
Source: http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2015/01/13/Seyran-Ohanyan-No-need-to-politicize-Gyumri-killings/893041
Armenian Police: Valery Permyakov might have acted not alone
The
criminal case on the vicious family murder in Gyumri includes many
stories related to the crime scenario. One of the stories says the
murderer Valery Permyakov might have acted not alone, Hunan Poghosyan,
deputy head of the Armenia Police, told reporters, Monday. He said the
law-enforcers of both Armenia and Russia are thoroughly analyzing every
detail and every probable scenario. "The preliminary investigation will
give answers to many questions the public is concerned over. It is
untimely to say anything specific now. There is still a probability that
Permyakov might have acted in a group," Poghosyan said. Deputy head of
the Police denied the rumors that Armenian law-enforcers detained
Permyakov on the Armenian-Turkish border and handed him over to the
Russian party. "We have no such information," Poghosyan said. He
disagreed with the statements suggesting that the Police displayed
insufficient professionalism and consistence in persecuting Permyakov,
who occurred in the hands of Russian frontier guards. "The Police acted
operatively. We carefully verified any information or alarm on
Permyakov's possible route," he said. On Jan 12, 6 members of the
Avetisyans' family were murdered in Gyumri. Though 2 weeks have passed
since the day of the murder, the investigation has not yet reasonably
explained the reasons why Valery Permyakov could commit that horrible
crime. At the moment, the criminal is staying in the territory of the
Russian 102nd military base and the residents of Gyumri still demand
transferring Permyakov to Armenian law-enforcers. The only survivor of
the Jan 12 tragedy, 6-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan, died of stab wounds
on Jan 19.
Source: http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=BC100050-A566-11E4-BDC20EB7C0D21663
Gyumri resident: Murder of Gyumri family is ‘deliberate provocation’
The murder of an Armenian family by a Russian soldier could be ‘deliberate provocation,’ rather than a coincidence, says sculptor Andranik Davtyan. He was born and raised in the same street where the six members of the Avetisyan family were brutally murdered on January 12 allegedly by a Russian soldier serving at a Russian military base in Gyumri. “Today Azerbaijan is waiting for an opportunity to start a war with Armenia, and I think that Turkey will not sit idle and will do everything to help Azerbaijan. In that case they will seek to remove Russian troops that are guarding Armenia’s border,” said Mr Davtyan. It is not accidental that Valery Permyakov, the Russian soldier who is believed to have killed the Avetisyan family, left traces at the scene of murder and attempted to cross Armenia’s border with Turkey. “The military boots that he [Valery Permyakov] left at Avetisyan’s house clearly show that he wanted to show that the author of the murder was Russian,” said the sculptor. The brutal murder in Gyumri triggered uproar in different circles over the country’s relations with its closest ally Russia, deepening controversy over the relations between the two countries. The Avetisyans – two grandparents, their son and daughter, a daughter-in-law, and young Hamsik – were shot dead on 12 January. A six-month-old boy, Seryozha – in critical condition after suffering stab wounds – is the only survivor. The suspect, Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who was serving at Moscow’s 102nd military base in Gyumri, is said to have confessed to the crime after being apprehended by Russian border guards as he was reportedly attempting to cross into Turkey.
Source: http://en.a1plus.am/1203953.html
Russian
military base in Armenia to be staffed by contract servicemen only
starting from 2016
Russia's
102nd military base in Armenia will be staffed exclusively by personnel
serving under contracts starting from the spring of 2016, a source in
the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"The last conscripts will leave the 102nd Russian military base
stationed in Armenia in the spring of 2016," he said. This decision was
adopted last year and was not prompted by the suspected involvement of
Russian base serviceman Valery Permyakov in the January 12 murder of six
members of one family in the northern Armenian city of Gyumri, near
which the base is located, the source said. Russia's 201st military
base stationed in Tajikistan has been staffed exclusively by personnel
serving under contracts since December 2014, he said. The psychological
and mental health of soldiers who may serve at Russian military bases
in foreign countries will be thoroughly examined at collecting stations
in Russia's military districts, the source said. Russia's 102nd
Alexander Nevsky Order military base of the Southern Military District
is stationed at two military garrisons. Some 2,500 conscripts arrived at
the base as part of a routine rotation in December 2014. The 201st
military base is Russia's largest military facility outside its
territory. It has about 6,000 personnel accommodated near Dushanbe,
Kurgan-Tyube and Kulyab. Under an agreement signed in October 2012, the
201st military base will remain in Tajikistan until 2042 at the
earliest.
Source:http://rbth.com/news/2015/01/20/russian_military_base_in_armenia_to_be_staffed_by_contract_servicemen_on_42992.html
Russian soldier accused of slaughtering family to be tried in Armenia
A Russian soldier suspected of slaying a family in Armenia after
going AWOL will be tried in Armenia. The two countries will jointly
investigate the grizzly crime that provoked mass demonstrations. Valery Permyakov, who served at a Russian military base in
Armenia, is suspected of murdering a family in Gyumri, Armenia’s
second-largest city, on January 12. Six people were shot dead in the house while the seventh victim,
a six-month-old baby boy, died days later from a stab wound. The AWOL soldier is believed to have been trying to desert. He
broke into a random house to get food and went on a killing
rampage after being found by the owners, according to media
reports.
“At a meeting in Yerevan, representatives from the Armenian and Russian investigations… agreed on a coordinated effort to conduct a comprehensive investigation,” Sona Tryzyan, spokeswoman for the Armenian Investigative Committee, announced on Tuesday.
Aleksandr
Bastrykin, who heads the Russian Investigative Committee, assured that
both the prosecution and trial of the suspect would be held in Armenia,
in accordance with international law and bilateral agreements between
the two countries. The Russian official is currently visiting Armenia to
tackle the fallout following the tragic incident. READ MORE:
Protesters demand Russian soldier’s trial in Armenia, clash with police
The high-profile crime caused uproar in Armenia and a massive rally
gathered in front of the Russian Consulate last Thursday. The protesters
demanded that Permyakov be handed over and brought to justice in
Armenia. The rally became violent when demonstrators started pelting
police officers guarding the base with stones and other projectiles. In
the ensuing clash, 26 people, most of them police officers, were
injured. Permyakov was arrested the day after the massacre as he was
trying to cross the border with Turkey. Russian border guards, who are
helping their Armenian colleagues to patrol its borders, captured the
man and handed him over to the base, where he is currently being held in
custody.
Source: http://rt.com/news/224427-armenia-soldier-killing-trial/
44% of Russians say man charged with killing family in Gyumri should be tried in Armenia
Sixty-eight percent of Russians are aware of the mass killing in Gyumri and the developments that followed, while 32 % have not heard about the incident, according to a study conducted by the Levada analytical center. 48% of those, who have heard about the crime, consider that the case should be investigated jointly by Armenian and Russian law-enforcement bodies, 42% say it should be the Russian court, but the trial should be held on the territory of Armenia (44%). Twenty-five percent of those surveyed said the investigation should be carried out by Russian law-enforcers, 21% consider the probe should be conducted by Armenians. Thirty-seven percent said the criminal should be tried by the Armenian court. The study was conducted from January 23 to 26 among 1,600 people in 134 regions of Russia. Remind that Russian soldier Valery Permyakov is the only suspect in the slaying of a family of seven in Gyumri on January 12.
Source: http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/02/02/44-of-russians-say-man-charged-with-killing-family-in-gyumri-should-be-tried-in-armenia/
Armenia and Russia Will Overcome the Tragedy of Gyumri Together: Ivan Volinkin
In an interview with “Россия 24”, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Armenia Ivan Volinkin declared that Armenia and Russia share the pain of the tragedy that took place in Gyumri on 12 January and that there is no justification for such barbarity and it doesn’t recognize any state or nationality. As “Armenpress” reports, citing Interfax, Volinkin mentioned that he had trouble finding the words to describe what happened. “The employees of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia were shocked when they found out what had happened. It became a pain and tragedy for both the Armenians and the Russians. I understand and accept the society’s sentimentality towards the incident. I would like to express once again my condolences to the relatives of the victims, the citizens of Gyumri and the entire Armenian nation,” the Ambassador said. He stressed the fact that the corresponding Armenian and Russian authorities are jointly carrying out the investigation into the case. “The investigation has to be objective and comprehensive. I’m certain that the criminal will be punished by the law. There have been difficult times in the centuries-old history of the Armenian-Russian friendship, but we have always managed to overcome the difficulties through combined efforts and by supporting each other. I believe that will be the case this time as well,” Ivan Volinkin underscored.
Russia Begins WMD Defense Drills in Armenia and Crimea
Large-scale
exercises of Russian radiation, chemical, and biological
defense troops have started on seven firing ranges in Russia's Southern
Military Region, as well as the Crimean Peninsula and Armenia, Russia's
news agency RIA-Novosti reports. A total of 1,700 military personnel and
more than 350 pieces
of military hardware are taking part in the war games, according to the
press service of the Southern Military Region. "Large-scale field
exercises of radiation, chemical, and biological
defense specialists began on seven firing ranges of the Southern
Military Region, including in the Volgograd region, Stavropol and
Krasnodar regions, Republic of Crimea, North Ossetia and Armenia. The
drills involve units from the Southern Military District, the Black Sea
Fleet, the Caspian Flotilla, as well as the 4th Air Force Command and
Air Defense," the press service said. During the exercises, the troops
will drill prepare themselves using
the most advanced military equipment, which was put in service in the
Russian army in 2012. The equipment includes a RHM-6 chemical
reconnaissance vehicle, which
is designed to remotely detect toxic and casualty-producing substances.
The drills also involve the ARS-14KM mobile spray station, the TDA-2K
engine smoke generating system, the BMO-T heavy armored personnel
carrier equipped with flame throwers and the TOS-1A Buratino heavy
flame throwing system attached to the chassis of a T-72 main battle
tank, according to the press service.
Paul Goble: Gyumri Events Could Spark a New War over Karabakh
The murder of
an Armenian family in Gyumri by a Russian soldier and the failure of Yerevan to
stand up to Moscow about his trial have outraged Armenians and led some experts
like Igor Muradyan to say that Russia “is losing Armenia,” its primary ally in
the South Caucasus (ekhokavkaza.com/content/article/26798215.html). And that in turn has led some analysts
to suggest that Moscow might be interested in a new outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh
war between Armenia and Azerbaijan to remind Armenians and Yerevan about Russia’s
key role in restraining an ever more powerful Azerbaijan from retaking those
regions and thus helping Armenia maintain its control over them.
In a comment to Slon.ru yesterday, Mikhail Zygar, the chief editor of Russia’s independent television channel “Dozhd,” said that Moscow will not make the concessions Yerevan is demanding – handing the soldier over to Armenian courts or ensuring an open trial – because under the Russian constitution it doesn’t have to (slon.ru/insights/1205915/). But the real explanation for why Russia is behaving in a way that is infuriating its last ally in the south Caucasus and one of the few on the territory of the former Soviet space, Zygar says, is geoolitical situation which Armenia finds itself in – and which, although he does not say so, Moscow is all too ready to highlight when it thinks it needs to.
“One need not be a great expert on Armenian-Russian relations,” he continues, to find the answer to Russian behavior which may seem “at first glance” strange. And it is this: “The [Russian] military base in Gyumri is the foundation of Armenian security. More precisely, it is a guarantee that Azerbaijan will not attack Armenia and try to recover Nagorno-Karabakh.” He continues: “The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for Nagorno-Karabakh ended 20 years ago in 1994. Armenia did not simply win it; it destroyed the Azerbaijani army and occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and several Azerbaijani districts which separated the territory of the autonomous republic from the territory of Armenia.” At that time, Zygar says, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was “proclaimed,” but formally it has not been “recognized by anyone since then, including Armenia itself.”
Over the course of the last two
decades, “a great deal has changed. Azerbaijan has been transformed into a
wealthy oil producing country, and in the fat years of the last decade a
generation of Azerbaijanis who live with the dream of sooner or later
recovering” the territories their country lost earlier.
While there is a ceasefire in place, “the undeclared war
with Armenia and constant exchanges of fire on the border are the reality of
the last two decades,” Zygar says. And
he reminds everyone that the slogan “’Karabakh is Ours’” is a much more central
aspect of Azerbaijani identity than Crimean ever was or ever will be for
Russia.
That Moscow might want to remind Armenians of that
reality is thus plausible, but there is the danger that some in Yerevan might
be inclined to go along and launch what they might think would be “a short
victorious war” in order to save their own positions even or perhaps especially
because that would solidify their relations with Russia.
As one Armenian human rights activist, Artur Sakunts,
told “Nezavisimaya gazeta,” the problems at Gyumri are longstanding and have
their roots in “the absence of the necessary level of control over the base by
the Armenian authorities,” thus fueling anti-regime attitudes in Yerevan by
highlighting its subordination to Moscow (ng.ru/politics/2015-01-20/3_gumri.html). No one is saying that either Moscow or Yerevan
will start a war, but it is clear that both the Russian government and its
Armenian counterpart might see such a conflict as in its interests, and that
alone justifies concerns that the events in Gyumri may lead to more violence
and claim more victims in the near future.
Moscow Agrees to Try Gyumri Killer in Armenia but in a Russian Court
Fearful that Armenian anger could lead to a break with Moscow or
even spark an orange-style revolution in Yerevan, Moscow has agreed that
the Russian soldier who has now confessed to killing an Armenian family
in Gyurmri will be tried in Armenia but in a Russian court with Russian
laws.
Whether that concession will be sufficient to calm Armenian outrage
at this murder is unclear, but it is already angering some Russians who
view what Moscow has done as a violation of the Constitution’s
declaration that Moscow won’t take such steps and who fear this will
open the door to more Russian concessions not only in Armenia but
elsewhere.
After meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan earlier this
week, Aleksandr Bastrykin, the head of the Investigations Committee of
Russia, said that Valery Permyakov’s trial would take place in Gyumri
and not in Russia as many Armenians feared but that it would be in a
Russian court and under Russian laws (regnum.ru/news/polit/1886393.html). That decision became easier for Moscow to make after Permyakov
confessed, but it has done to calm anger among Russians who fear that
this is “a dangerous precedent which may force Russia every time to hand
over its soldiers into the hands of the courts of another country,”
Regnum reports, and may have done little to calm anger among Armenians
about the case.
Indeed, there are indications that Armenian officials plan to exploit
this Russian concession as much as possible. The Investigation
Committee of Armenia has already filed charges against Permyakov,
something that might seem irrelevant if a Russian court is going to
judge him (inforesist.org/rossijskij-voennosluzhashhij-permyakov-priznal-svoyu-vinu-v-ubijstve-armyanskoj-semi/).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that outsiders
are trying to “politicize” the case, adding that in his view “the proud
Armenian people will never fall for such provocations” because
“everything needed for the investigation of this tragedy will be done”
and as a result “Russian-Armenian relations will not suffer” (regnum.ru/news/polit/1886572.html).
But others are not so sure, either that the source of the problem is
“outside provocations” or that it is going to be as easily resolved as
Lavrov clearly hopes it will be. In a commentary for Profile.ru, Ivan
Sukhov says that Russian analysts are increasingly making a distinction
between Sargsyan and the Armenian people (profile.ru/eks-sssr/item/91386-proshel-soldat-po-gorodu).
Sargsyan remains committed to an alliance with Moscow, Sukhov says
Russian specialists say, but his silence at the time of the Gyumri crime
has cost him and Moscow support in the Armenian population, an
increasing number of whom won’t vote for him in upcoming elections. And
that could trigger a radical shift in Armenia’s position both at home
and abroad.
And
events in Armenia could move even more rapidly along the
trajectory Georgia already passed, something that would not be in
Moscow’s interests but something for which Russia must now be prepared.
Hence its concessions over the handling of Permyakov, but these may not
be nearly enough. This piece was written by an American writer and
analyst on Eurasia Paul Goble. This post was initially published on his blog on January 22.
Chilingarov, Kiselev pay floral tribute to family slain in Gyumri
Legendary polar explorer and Hero of the Soviet Union and Russia Arthur Cghilingarov, who is also a statesman and political activist, and Dmitry Kiselev, Russia Today International News Agency CEO, paid today floral tribute to the family killed in Gyumri, Novosti-Armenia reports referring to RIA Novosti. Six members of the family were killed in shooting on January 12 and a six-month baby was wounded and died one week later in a hospital. Valery Permyakov, a Russian conscript soldier suspected of committing this crime, is now in custody pending trial. He has confessed his guilt.
«Dmitry Kiselev and I could not fail to visit Gyumri while in Armenia and express our sorrow and sympathy,» Chilingarov said. «A horrible tragedy. No mercy to the monster who has committed this crime!» Chilingarov said a lesson should be learned from this tragedy to prevent repetition. «We, representatives of Russia, should stress that we mourn these deaths with Armenia. I understand that we are fraternal nations and we need more frequent meetings, since we know how Armenians treat Russians and how Russians treat Armenians and these relations should be supported at all levels...» Kiselev, on his side, said that what happened in Gyumri made him restless.
«I have many Armenian friends,» he said. «On behalf of the Griboyedov Club I have founded, I say that everybody was overtaken by indignation, especially given our ties and friendship. Russians are especially hard pressed, since additional burden is laid upon us... Feeling of protest and wish to distance ourselves from the perpetrator of this crime come over us, since Permyakov is Russian, but, as it is known, there is a black sheep in every fold.» Kiselev said that tension in Russian-Armenian relations emerged as a result of certain manipulations and people wanting reap fruits from grief are found everywhere. «Somebody finds an outlet for own energy, somebody maybe earns money from this and somebody is unhappy about strong ties between Russia and Armenia,» he said adding that Armenians and Russians should stand or fall together.
Speaking about some fears that the investigation is running slowly, Kiselev said such crimes are not investigated in one or two months and there is no need to spur anybody. «I understand that emotionally it would be better to clear up everything as soon as possible, but we don't like mob rule,» he said. «That is why we should be patient and consider this period as mourning time and refrain from hurling accusations.» Kiselev said that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a very careful inquiry.
Source: http://arka.am/en/news/society
Legendary
polar explorer and Hero of the Soviet Union and Russia Arthur
Cghilingarov, who is also a statesman and political activist, and Dmitry
Kiselev, Russia Today International News Agency CEO, paid today floral
tribute to the family killed in Gyumri, Novosti-Armenia reports
referring to RIA Novosti.
Six members of the family were killed in shooting on January 12 and
a six-month baby was wounded and died one week later in a hospital.
Valery Permyakov, a Russian conscript soldier suspected of committing
this crime, is now in custody pending trial.
He has confessed his guilt. «Dmitry Kiselev and I could not fail to
visit Gyumri while in Armenia and express our sorrow and sympathy,»
Chilingarov said. «A horrible tragedy. No mercy to the monster who has
committed this crime!»
Chilingarov said a lesson should be learned from this tragedy to prevent repetition.
«We, representatives of Russia, should stress that we mourn these
deaths with Armenia. I understand that we are fraternal nations and we
need more frequent meetings, since we know how Armenians treat Russians
and how Russians treat Armenians and these relations should be supported
at all levels...»
Kiselev, on his side, said that what happened in Gyumri made him
restless. «I have many Armenian friends,» he said. «On behalf of the
Griboyedov Club I have founded, I say that everybody was overtaken by
indignation, especially given our ties and friendship. Russians are
especially hard pressed, since additional burden is laid upon us...
Feeling of protest and wish to distance ourselves from the perpetrator
of this crime come over us, since Permyakov is Russian, but, as it is
known, there is a black sheep in every fold.»
Kiselev said that tension in Russian-Armenian relations emerged as a
result of certain manipulations and people wanting reap fruits from
grief are found everywhere.
«Somebody finds an outlet for own energy, somebody maybe earns
money from this and somebody is unhappy about strong ties between Russia
and Armenia,» he said adding that Armenians and Russians should stand
or fall together.
Speaking about some fears that the investigation is running slowly,
Kiselev said such crimes are not investigated in one or two months and
there is no need to spur anybody.
«I understand that emotionally it would be better to clear up
everything as soon as possible, but we don't like mob rule,» he said.
«That is why we should be patient and consider this period as mourning
time and refrain from hurling accusations.»
Kiselev said that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a very careful inquiry.
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Kosachev: 350 Armenian NGOs Spread Propaganda Against EEU
The republics of the South Caucasus are important for Russia, each in its own way. This is what Head of the International Committee of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev declared during a February 26 press conference in Moscow, as “Armenpress” reports, citing RIA Novosti. “Russia is interested in establishing peace and stability in the region,” the politician said. According to him, whereas Azerbaijan is Russia’s major partner in trade, economy and politics, Armenia is Russia’s close partner. “We’re together not only within the CIS, but also within the CSTO, and now within the Eurasian Economic Union,” Kosachev said. Kosachev informed that nearly 350 Armenian non-governmental organizations spread propaganda against accession to the Eurasian Economic Union and are in favor of Armenia’s accession to the EU within the Eastern Partnership Plan. The senator voiced hope that Armenia would be able to avoid the attempt to make such a choice. “I hope Russia and Armenia will maintain the alliance and friendly relations spanning years and centuries, just like it was in the past,” Kosachev said.
Source: http://armenpress.am/eng/news/795681/armenia-is-russia%E2%80%99s-close-partner-kosachev.html
German Ambassador Shmidt: "Armenians are Russian slaves"
A lawmaker of Armenia’s ruling political force has called for
explanations from a former German ambassador for a recent remark
comparing the Armenian-Russian alliance with relations between a master
and slave.
Speaking to Tert.am, Arman Sahakyan of the Republican parliamentary faction recalled historic records proving that the 1.5 million Armenians’ WWI-era massacre in the Ottoman Empire was caused by what he described as Germany’s guilty inaction. Sahakyan said he finds that the Germans have the wrong understanding of their national ideas and ideology. “Two thousand more Armenians were killed to liberate the world from the fascist evil. So I think Germany’s incumbent ambassador has to make clarifications to shed light on his predecessor's expressions,” said the Republican MP.
Speaking to Tert.am, Arman Sahakyan of the Republican parliamentary faction recalled historic records proving that the 1.5 million Armenians’ WWI-era massacre in the Ottoman Empire was caused by what he described as Germany’s guilty inaction. Sahakyan said he finds that the Germans have the wrong understanding of their national ideas and ideology. “Two thousand more Armenians were killed to liberate the world from the fascist evil. So I think Germany’s incumbent ambassador has to make clarifications to shed light on his predecessor's expressions,” said the Republican MP.
In a recent interview with the Gyumri-based TV channel GALA, Ambassador Hans-Joshem Shmidt referred to prominent works by Russian classics (Pushkin, Lermontov), describing the Caucasus region as a territory belonging to Russia, with the Armenians being slaves to Russian masters. Sahakyan, who is a single-seat MP elected from second largest city, said he does not see any connection between the statement and the recent brutal family murder in Gyumri.
“What happened was a tremendous tragedy, and we unfortunately will not return those killed, but I think this is a problem between us and Russia alone; it has [to be resolved] by the two countries’ law enforcers,” he said, recommending against dropping historical hints. Asked whether he observes any disharmony and estrangement between the city’s Russian military base and the population in the wake of the tragic incident, Sahakyan didn’t deny a certain degree of tension but said he hopes the passions will little by little calm down.
“This cannot remain without consequence, so naturally a certain revolt and just demand has really matured. But I think we’ll manage to restore the Gyumri people’s sense of honor in the course of time,” he said.
Russian Activists Ask Putin to Send Troops Into Armenia
Online
activists have leapt to the defense of a Russian
soldier who has reportedly confessed to killing six members of an
Armenian family, calling on President Vladimir Putin to "send in the
troops" to protect all Russian-speakers in the Transcaucasian country.
The activists, commenting through their social media group "Anti-Maidan — Armenia,"
declared soldier Valery Permyakov to be "under Russia's protection"
and called for the use of force to combat Armenians who want him to face
trial in their country. Of note, the group's name recalls the political protests
on Kiev's Maidan Square that led to the overthrow of Ukraine's
Moscow-backed administration last February. In the weeks that followed,
Russia sent its troops into Crimea — ostensibly to protect
Russian-speakers in the region.
"Our president has clearly stated: We shall defend our
compatriots everywhere! In every place on the globe," the group wrote
on its VKontakte social network page. "And Valera [Permyakov] is no
exception."
Thousands of Armenian protesters took to the streets last
week, demanding that Russian authorities hand over Permyakov — a soldier
at a military base in Gyumri who police say has confessed to killing
six people, including a two-year-old girl. A six-month-old boy was also
wounded in the attack, which took place last Monday, but he survived. The "Anti-Maidan — Armenia" group responded to last week's
demonstrations by calling the protesters "Nazis" — the same term that
Moscow's politicians and state-run media had used to refer to the
opposition in Ukraine.
"Putin, send in the troops!" the group said on VKontakte.
"All of the Russian-speaking population in Armenia is now in danger!"
The group also proclaimed: "Russia is Permyakov, and Permyakov is
Russia."
It
was not immediately clear whether the group was created
for satirical purposes, but the posts drew outrage from opposition
Russian politician Boris Nemtsov. "When the Anti-Maidan pro-Kremlin
movement declares
Permyakov … to be 'a prisoner of conscience' what are they counting on?"
Nemtsov said on his Facebook page last week. "On the love of the
Armenian people? Or on seeing Russians cursed even by the citizens
of Armenia who have so far been friendly?" Nemtsov also suggested that
the group was aiming to incite a conflict, while the "Kremlin is
silently condoning them."
'Prisoner of Conscience'
Armenia,
like Georgia and Ukraine, is among the former Soviet states that had
traditionally enjoyed close ties with Russia. But in recent years,
Russia has fought a war against Georgia
over its pro-Russian separatist regions, and annexed Crimea
from Ukraine under the guise of protecting the peninsula's
Russian-speaking population. The developments have soured Georgia's
and Ukraine's
relations with Russia, and Armenian lawmakers said last week that
the Gyumri killing would likely spark debate about Russia's military
presence in the country.
According to a statement posted Sunday on the Kremlin
website, Putin has spoken with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan
to express his condolences and offer assurances that the "those
responsible would receive the punishment envisaged by law." Yet there was no direct reference to Permyakov in the
Kremlin's statement, and there appears to be some disagreement on the
legal issues surrounding his possible handing over to Armenian
authorities. Nemtsov, the opposition politician, cited a 1997 agreement
between Moscow and Yerevan, which seems to indicate that Russian
military personnel charged with committing crimes in Armenia should be
tried by Armenian courts.
"In cases of crimes and other offenses committed on the
territory of the Republic of Armenia by individuals who are members
of the Russian military base and their families, the laws of the
Republic of Armenia are applied, and its competent organs will take
action," the agreement reads, according to the text posted on the
Russian Foreign Ministry website. But the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office said last week
that under Russia's Constitution, Russian citizens detained by Russian
authorities on suspicion of having committed a crime cannot be handed
over to another country, the Interfax news agency reported. Nemtsov argued that Armenian demonstrators demands — that
Russia deliver on the international agreements it had signed — were
"perfectly legal."
"But Permyakov has not been handed over, and [he has] even
been proclaimed 'a prisoner of conscience,'" he said. "And then we show
surprise that everybody around hates us." The "prisoner of conscience" phrase appears to originate
from an earlier post on the "Anti-Maidan — Armenia" group on VKontakte,
which used the term to describe the suspected killer, according to a
screen-grab posted by Nemtsov. The group has since toned down its language, and now runs
a different caption under the same picture that reads: "Valery
Permyakov: Killer or victim?"
Yet it remains defiant in its attempts to blame the Armenian
protests on the U.S. while calling for Moscow to respond in order
to maintain its hold on the region. "Accusing a Russian warrior profits only two forces —
the U.S. and their subordinate Armenian opposition, which has already
managed to put forward demands to close the Russian military base,"
the group said on its VKontakte page.
Russia Is Losing Friends and Alienating Peoples
Russian politicians constantly claim that the former Soviet
republics are a foreign policy priority. Moscow devotes considerable
attention and spends huge sums of money maintaining the Commonwealth
of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
the Eurasian Economic Union and the Eurasian Customs Union. However,
this increasingly begs the question of what actual benefit they provide
for their members. Let's start with the purely political alliances. It is well
known that the CIS was originally viewed as a form of "civilized
divorce" between the former Soviet republics. That was largely true,
except in the cases of Georgia and Ukraine, which withdrew under
circumstances that could hardly be considered civilized.
By contrast, the CSTO was established as a voluntary
organization with seemingly clear objectives. But what result do we see
now? Over the last 10 years, the organization conducted more than
15 large-scale joint military exercises aimed at combatting terrorism
and extremism, but where was the organization when, for example,
Kyrgyzstan came to the brink of a full-scale civil war in 2010? Did a contingent of CSTO troops deploy to Osh to prevent
the massacre of civilians? No. Did the CSTO member states at least
formulate and agree on a common position regarding the Kyrgyz problem?
Again, no. In recent years Russia twice deployed its troops to the
territory of neighboring states — in 2008 to South Ossetia, then a part
of Georgia, and in 2014 to Crimea, then a part of Ukraine. Borders
changed, but did any of Russia's allies officially recognize those
changes? Not one.
Did
the CSTO member states at least formulate a common position regarding
the Ukrainian crisis? No, again. In fact, conflicts are gaining steam
between the post-Soviet
republics. Armenia and Azerbaijan have practically been at war since
November 2014. What type of alliances are possible when prospective
members are at war with each other?
The problem is that concerted action is very much needed. However much Russian leaders deride NATO, there is no denying that even after the end of the Cold War its member states conducted dozens of joint maneuvers, it possesses a highly capable military command and, despite some enduring tensions between Greece and Turkey, the alliance members operate as a unified whole on foreign and defense policy matters.
The West unquestionably has common goals and values, along
with mechanisms for projecting them in the world. But what does Russia
have that would unite it with potential allies other than some vague
fear of the outside world? Russia's economic unions look no more convincing. Any form
of integration first requires certain concessions or accommodations
on the part of its initiators before it can bear fruit. But Russia's unabashed attempt to buy the friendship
of Belarus and Armenia is not a promising form of cooperation — much
less the brutal military operations designed to compel Ukraine
into alliance.
Of course, even the closest allies can disagree at times, as
the United States and Europe often do. However, reliable cooperation
requires a solid foundation, and in the case of the West, it comes
in the form of $1.1 trillion in annual bilateral trade and mutual
investment totaling $3.8 trillion. For years, Kazakhstan was the chief advocate of Eurasian
integration, but after the first 10 months of 2014, its share of exports
to other members of the Customs Union had fallen to 6.1 percent
from 11.8 percent in 2010. In 2011, President Vladimir Putin made
the case that over the next five years the Customs Union and the
Eurasian Economic Union would account for 15 percent of member
countries' gross domestic products — or roughly $300 billion in trade.
If that is true, was it worth sacrificing those
organizations to impose a ban on $6 billion worth of European foods
imported to Russia — for the sake of which Russia now intercepts
consignments of foods sent from Belarus to Kazakhstan, even with
the probability that those products will never reach their destination,
or else will return home bearing new labels? And if it is worth it, were
Putin's earlier arguments of its benefits just banal pre-election
promises — or has everyone completely forgotten how to calculate profit
and loss? At the same time, successful economic unions always follow
the principle of unity in diversity. For example, countries with
practically "socialist" economic models co-exist alongside those with
very liberal economies.
However, Moscow will only cooperate with states that accept
Russia's economic model of nationalization — a model that has proven
ineffective in recent years. Moreover, Moscow ultimately turns its back on any state that
does not want to end up like Russia, in what Putin euphemistically
described as "the trap of zero growth." That is no way to form
an alliance. People become friends when they share common values,
interests and world views. In working toward common goals, friends
support each other and strengthen their relationship. In the same way,
when the members of international alliances share a common ideology
and values, and when they are prepared to come to each other's aid, it creates a stable union.
Russia, on the other hand, seems patently incapable
of making friends. It prefers an overbearing and ostentatious show
of love — and not even with a real partner, but with an imaginary image
of that partner. Nothing better describes what happened this year between
Russia and Ukraine than these lyrics from a famous romantic song
by Alexander Malinin: "Surrender lovely creature. I declare my love
for you!" Such "romances" might make for great melodrama, but they
cannot build a stable alliance or improve strained relations. If Russia really wants to undertake the difficult but
theoretically feasible task of consolidating the former Soviet
republics, it should, on one hand, reflect on the ideology and values
at the core of such a project, and on the other hand, about how
to improve the effectiveness of the Russian economic system as it stands
today.
Both tasks are extremely difficult. This is first because
Russia is turning away from the Soviet universal model that was clearly
focused on the future to an incredibly narrow one fixated on its Soviet
past. Integration is built on overcoming history, not reconstructing it. And second, it is because Russia's elite have become
accustomed to offering their loyalty in return for immediate gain, but
are not accustomed to considering the long-term "profitability" of such
transactions.That will lead Moscow officials to become frustrated with
integration and, in turn, trigger frustration among its partners. That
will ultimate destroy an otherwise worthwhile, if not vitally necessary,
project. In the end, unions and alliances that are not based
on common values cost far more than they are worth and deliver little
more than mutual disappointment.
Trouble At Home and "Near Abroad"
On January 13, Russian troops stationed on the Turkey-Armenia border
apprehended Private Valery Permyakov. The previous day, Permyakov, a
Russian soldier, deserted his base in the Armenian city of Gyumri and
killed six members of a local family. A seventh victim, an infant boy,
initially survived but succumbed to his injuries on January 19. The
murders sparked unprecedented protests in Gyumri and the capital city of
Yerevan, and new demonstrations are still being planned. Despite the
emotional response, the killings and demonstrations are unlikely to
damage Armenia’s strong ties to Moscow.
Valery Permyakov’s base at Gyumri hosts over 3,000 Russian soldiers
along with fighter jets, tanks, and other hardware. Gyumri, like most of
Russia’s foreign military installations,
is located within the borders of the former Soviet Union. Moscow’s
presence in these areas was a given until the U.S.S.R. dissolved 23
years ago. Accordingly, few in the post-Soviet republics (what Russia
refers to as the “near abroad”) question
Russian deployments there. This is especially true in Armenia. Dr.
Yevgenya Paturyan, who teaches at the American University of Armenia,
concluded that, “the pro-Russian attitude has a lot to do with the Armenian Genocide.”
According to Dr. Paturyan, “Turkey is perceived by almost any Armenian
as an archenemy,” because of the genocide. “Turkey is a member of NATO,
hence NATO is an enemy. Russia opposes NATO. An enemy of my enemy is my
friend. This is how the average Armenian thinks.” It follows that
criticism of Russia is rare in the political arena. Davit Sanasaryan is
the spokesman for Heritage, an opposition party in Armenia’s National
Assembly. He told World Policy Journal that, “Heritage is the
only political party which always was against deployment of Russian
military bases in Armenia.” He believes Moscow’s presence, “endangers
and threatens, first of all, our [Armenia’s] independence.”
Indeed, while Armenia officially achieved statehood in 1991, its membership in Kremlin-led integration projects like the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union
preserve many old economic, political, and security networks. This
reality made January’s protests surprising. However, the demonstrations
obscure Armenia’s need for its Russian sponsor. Dr. Vahram
Ter-Matevosyan of the American University of Armenia studies regional
security in the South Caucasus. He cited the, “Karabakh conflict, blockade imposed by Turkey and the increasing number of Armenians
in Russia," as defining Armenia's relations with Moscow. “No doubt,
each of these categories have a dozen subcategories,” Ter-Matevosyan
added, “and all of them are merged into one word – security.”
Armenia’s geopolitical position and security needs restrict its
options in handling the Gyumri murders.
Armenia is a landlocked country
located on the periphery of three powerful states—Turkey, Iran, and
Russia. Two of Armenia’s neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey, are
unfriendly states. The Nagorno-Karabakh War against Azerbaijan left
Yerevan isolated in its own neighborhood. Now, Armenia’s eastern and
western borders are closed and regional infrastructure projects
deliberately bypass the country. The dispute with Baku persists and recent military escalation make
lasting resolution an increasingly distant prospect. This perpetuates
Armenia's political and economic estrangement. Such conditions make
simple practices like trade and energy supply difficult. Armenia
compensates with Russian gas and energy systems, but this too comes at a
cost: Moscow controls around 80 percent of Armenia’s energy infrastructure, tying Yerevan even closer to the Kremlin.
Although Russia is Armenia’s primary political and military patron,
Moscow also arms Azerbaijan, a policy that fuels Armenian insecurity.
While most other countries would seek a more reliable ally, Yerevan has
no such option. Though Armenia maintains friendly ties with neighboring
Iran, the Islamic Republic cannot fill the Russian Federation’s security
role in the South Caucasus. Tehran can serve as a transit point for
Armenian trade to reach foreign markets, but it has limited strategic
aims outside of the Middle East. Iran shares good relations with Russia,
and is unlikely to challenge an ally in its own backyard. The West is
also not a viable option. In 2008, France and Germany promised to block
Armenia’s neighbor Georgia from joining NATO. Given this opposition, it
is unlikely that Western governments would offer Armenia similar
protection. Rejecting Tbilisi’s NATO bid was tacit recognition that the
South Caucasus is still largely a Russian neighborhood, and that any
further Western involvement in the region means confrontation with
Moscow.
During the demonstrations in Gyumri and Yerevan, some protesters made an unprecedented call
for the Russians to evacuate Armenian territory. Most demanded that an
Armenian court try Valery Permyakov. Activists cited a 1997
Russia-Armenia agreement which stipulates that, “In cases of crimes
and other offenses committed on the territory of the Republic of Armenia
by individuals who are members of the Russian military base and their
families, the laws of the Republic of Armenia are applied, and its
competent organs will take action.” Heritage’s Davit Sanasaryan
denounced Yerevan for allowing Russia to try Permyakov and blamed the
government for failing to restore calm. “The President of Armenia must
immediately demand the leadership of Russia transfer Valery Permyakov’s
case,” Sanasaryan told World Policy Journal. “The authorities of Armenia,” he remarked critically, “are thinking about not offending the Kremlin.”
Much to the ire of the protesters and the parliamentary opposition, a
Russian court will be trying Permyakov, albeit on Armenian soil. The
United States similarly overruled Afghan officials who wanted to try
American soldiers accused of crimes against their citizens. As with
Armenia, international security and political dependence shaped
Afghanistan’s domestic affairs. However humiliating the Armenian people
view Moscow's behavior to be, Yerevan’s geopolitical position may force
the government’s hand in dealing with Russia and demonstrators. On
January 28, Armenian police declared that protest organizers could face
prosecution. In this tense atmosphere, Dr. Yevgenya Paturyan fears the
situation might “break into a storm at any time.” She cautioned that,
“if the final decision on Permyakov’s case will judged by Armenians as
unsatisfactory, there will be another round of unrest.”
Increased friction between the Armenian authorities and the public
could threaten Yerevan’s domestic popularity. While the Armenian
government’s popularity may fluctuate, one thing promises to remain
constant in the small South Caucasus nation, as it has for almost two
centuries: Russia.
Source: http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2015/02/05/trouble-home-and-near-abroad
Stratfor: Belarus and Armenia Re-Evaluate Relations with Russia
Summary
Recent developments indicate that two of Moscow's most loyal allies in the former Soviet periphery, Belarus and Armenia, may be reassessing their ties with Russia in light of the country's standoff with the West. During a Jan. 29 press conference, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Minsk could pull out of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union if agreements are not kept, but also emphasized that the country's integration with Russia is deep and strong. Meanwhile, Armenia has faced growing difficulties in its conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, where Russia plays a key role. Both countries are likely to maintain their strategic orientation toward Russia, but Belarus and Armenia will continuously re-evaluate their positions depending on how the broader struggle between Moscow and the West plays out.
Analysis
The crisis in Ukraine
has had far-reaching repercussions. Relations between Russia and the
West are at their lowest point since the Cold War. Sanctions related to
the crisis, along with a sizable drop in global oil prices, have weakened Russia's economy severely.
Moreover, the crisis has brought Ukraine and other former Soviet
countries closer to Western institutions. Ukraine is receiving
increasing economic and security support from the West; NATO has increased troop rotations and military exercises in the Baltic states; and Moldova and Georgia have joined Ukraine in signing EU association and free trade agreements.
Even Azerbaijan, which traditionally has balanced between Russia and
the West, is being courted to expand energy ties with the European Union
via the Southern Corridor route. Within Eastern Europe and the Caucasus — the two regions that the European Union's Eastern Partnership program specifically targeted — only two countries remain aligned with Russia: Belarus and Armenia. Both countries have grown closer to Russia following the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, becoming members of the Eurasian Economic Union that
launched at the start of 2015. Both states have also emphasized their
strategic alignment with Russia, particularly regarding military and
security issues. Yet Belarus and Armenia may increasingly hedge their
positions as tension between Russia and the West continues to climb.
Belarus' Calculations
In
Belarus, Lukashenko's government has long been at odds with the
West. The European Union and United States imposed sanctions on Belarus
following the country's controversial elections in 2010, during which
security forces cracked down on anti-Lukashenko demonstrations. Belarus
was also the first and most vocal country in rebuffing the European
Union's Eastern Partnership program; Lukashenko saw the initiative as a
way to promote democracy and undermine his political position at home.
Yet since the ouster of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich
who — like Lukashenko — the West saw as an overly authoritarian,
pro-Russian figure, the Belarusian president has adjusted his position
regarding the European Union and United States. Lukashenko made Belarus a key mediator in negotiations between Russia
and the West over Ukraine. Belarus also has cautiously opened a
political dialogue with many Western countries, leading to a notable increase in economic deals between Minsk and several EU countries.
Simultaneously, Moscow's growing financial woes and periodic economic
disputes between Belarus and Russia have caused Lukashenko concern. In
his Jan. 29 press conference, Lukashenko emphasized that though economic
integration between the two countries is strong, trade wars within the
Eurasian Economic Union cannot be allowed, and that Minsk does not
exclude leaving the bloc if "agreements in it are not kept." Still,
Russia's ability and willingness to provide financial assistance to
Belarus — Moscow is slated to give Minsk around $1 billion this year —
are critical.
In addition, Belarus adopted legislation Jan. 26 that would consider
the appearance of any armed foreign fighters on the country's soil a
declaration of war, regardless of whether they are official military
troops or not. The context for this legislation is clearly the Ukraine
conflict, where volunteer fighters and non-official participants have
fought on both sides. For example, the Ukrainian security forces have
been accompanied by volunteer battalions, including fighters from
foreign countries such as Poland or Georgia — a worrying sign for
Lukashenko. The new legislation also prompted media speculation that the
new law is directed toward Russia, given the presence of "little green
men" — the unmarked and unofficial Russian military personnel fighting in Ukraine.
However, Lukashenko is not likely concerned about Russia, since Russian
troops are already stationed in Belarus and a new Russian airbase is
set to open in the country in 2016.
Lukashenko clearly has become concerned about his position, especially as fighting flares up once again in eastern Ukraine.
With military buildups growing near Belarus' borders to the east and
west, a spillover of violence from either direction cannot be ruled out.
More important, the West's continued calls for political reforms have
Lukashenko worried that Western countries could increase pressure on his
government, just as Russia is becoming increasingly alienated from the
West and as presidential elections set for the end of 2015 draw closer.
But Belarus is a strategic asset for Russia, especially with Ukraine in
limbo and the Baltic states in NATO. Belarus has so far maintained its
strategic alignment with Russia, but this year will shape Lukashenko's
political position domestically and in the country's careful maneuvering
between Moscow and the West.
Armenia's Concerns
Armenia has long been strategically aligned with Russia. A key driver
behind Yerevan's orientation toward Moscow is Armenia's conflict with
Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
After Armenia defeated Azerbaijan in a six-year war over the region,
Russia became Armenia's de facto security guarantor. The 5,000 Russian
troops stationed in Armenia have served to check Azerbaijan's ambitions
to reclaim the territory and also to guard Armenia's borders with the
larger Caucasus powers of Turkey and Iran. However, the Ukraine crisis has affected the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
Fighting has increased along the line of contact between
Armenia and Azerbaijan; violence spiked in August 2014, and in November
2014 Azerbaijani forces shot down an Armenian helicopter. Azerbaijan has
gained more room to maneuver in the conflict because of its
sought-after energy resources and Russia's focus on the Ukrainian
theater. These factors have caused Armenia to question Russia's
commitment as a security guarantor, especially concerning Moscow's lack
of response to the helicopter shoot-down. Armenia has not launched any
major reprisal attacks, and on Jan. 27 Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian admitted that the helicopter that was shot down had deviated
from its course and said that officials were dismissed as a result. This
startling and uncharacteristic admission shows that Armenia may be
recalculating its position in relation to Russia — something that the
West and Turkey could try to capitalize on.
Still, Armenia has been careful not to stray too far from Russia.
Despite a Russian soldier's recent killing of an Armenian family in
Gyumri, which has generated controversy and demonstrations in Armenia,
Yerevan has stood by Moscow. Ohanian said the incident "should not drive
a wedge in the Armenian-Russian relations," adding that Russia's
military presence in Armenia "is solving a larger regional issue."
Russia's military backing is crucial to Armenia, but continuation or
escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — such as Azerbaijani
forces' alleged shoot-down of an Armenian unmanned aerial vehicle Jan.
29 — will test Yerevan's resolve.
Source: https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/belarus-and-armenia-re-evaluate-relations-russia
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/3/azerbaijan-warns-us-will-lose-eurasia-influence-wi/#ixzz3Qn0jsb6m
Expert: The USA-Turkey-Israel link is the key threat to Armenia's security
The link USA-Turkey-Israel is the key threat to
Armenia's security, political expert, Sergey Shakaryants, said at
today's press-conference. He also added that just the above mentioned
"three" is trying at present at any cost to level significance and
influence of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide.
'And the statement by Israel's foreign minister, that Israel does
not recognize the Armenian genocide, was not accidental. If
Tel-Aviv makes such sharp anti-Armenian statements, it expresses not
only its own position, but also the position of its key sponsor
and strategical partner - Washington. These two countries are not
going to recognize the genocide, as it is not beneficial to them",
- Shakaryants said.
He also added that he will not be surprised if the leadership of the
USA as well as the leaders of the other Western countries will not
arrive in Armenia to take part in the memorial events, but will visit
Turkey to celebrate the so-called "Gallipoli victory".
The expert thinks that the rumors on worsening of relations between
Tel-Aviv and Ankara are a myth, as a true level and quality of relations
is determined not by the diplomatic rhetoric, but economic cooperation.
"Look, what huge investments Israel is making in the Turkish economy,
agriculture, defense industry and many other key sectors. Against the
background of such a close cooperation, all the rest political
statements simply lose their relevance", - the expert said.
To recall, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be
marked on 24 April 2015. Official Ankara does not recognize the genocide
which was recognized in 24 countries of the world. There are no
diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey and the 330 km long
border between these countries has been shut down since 1993 according
to Ankara's initiative.
Azerbaijan warns U.S. will lose Eurasia influence without clear strategy
Leaders from Azerbaijan
pressed Tuesday for the Obama administration to articulate a more clear
long-term geopolitical strategy for Eurasia, warning that America was
in danger of losing influence in the region while its allies risk losing
access to energy resources. The former Soviet Union member country — bordered by Russia
to the north, Iran to the south and the Caspian Sea to the east — holds
the rights to significant oil and gas reserves, which it has opened to
foreign investors from Europe and the United States via the Southern Gas
Corridor.
But fighting between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where the pipeline crosses, has
escalated in recent months, though largely overshadowed by conflict in
Ukraine. Western powers have called on both sides to reach a peaceful
resolution to the conflict, which threatens to draw in bigger powers,
including Russia, Turkey and Iran and infringe expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor. Azerbaijan and Armenia
have both laid claim to the territory during nearly a century of
dispute, which included two wars, and violence flared again in recent
weeks.
“That’s why we are talking about the essence of the
strategic vision of the United States of America, about this corridor.
This is not a corridor of gas and oil; this is a corridor of freedom,” Samad Seyidov, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of Azerbaijan’s parliament, told a forum hosted by The Washington
Times.
Times.
Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s
ambassador to the United States, explained that without an overall
strategy, the U.S. is wasting efforts to fix a crop of smaller problems
in the region. “The lack of clearly pronounced strategic outlook
it’s basically working with immunity deficiency disorder. Because if you
have no immunity, you come up with measles, or whatever. That
strategic outlook is the immune system. If it doesn’t exist, all small
the things pop up,” Mr. Suleymanov said.
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/3/azerbaijan-warns-us-will-lose-eurasia-influence-wi/#ixzz3Qn0jsb6m
Armenia wary of new Russo-Turkish alliance based on neocolonialist policies
Armenia, which was once divided under Russian-Turkish agreements, is
not interested in another alliance between Moscow and Ankara, but it
cannot back international policies aimed at restraining Russia or Turkey
by force of its current “allied” relations with the Russians. The world press has recently described the behavior of the presidents
of Turkey and Russia as a policy of gambling. Some observers say that
both leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, are carrying out
aggressive neocolonial policies, trying to save the remnants of the
Ottoman and Soviet empires, respectively.
Several years ago Putin initiated the project of the Eurasian Union, a
Russian-led grouping that currently also includes Kazakhstan, Belarus
and Armenia. Experts believe this project allows Moscow to keep under
its control at least several of the post-Soviet states. Erdogan, meanwhile, revived many of the attributes of Ottomanism – he
built a huge palace where guests are greeted by warriors in traditional
Ottoman clothes, he also proposed the introduction of Ottoman language
teaching at schools.
Over the weekend, Erdogan issued an ultimatum to the European Union.
“We are testing Europe. Will Europe be able to digest and to accept
Turkey, whose people are Muslims? If you oppose Islamophobia, then you
must admit Turkey into the EU,” he said. He added that “Turkey is a strong country today, and it will not
stand at the door of the EU and ask for membership.” Erdogan emphasized
that if Turkey is not admitted to the EU, it will go its own way.
Will there be a new alliance between Turkey and Russia, which
traditionally would end up in the division of Armenian lands? In this
context, media are discussing the role of the Armenian Question in the
matter of pressure on Turkey and Russia. The first lawsuits against
Turkey in connection with the return of estates seized from Armenians as
a result of the 1915 Genocide have already been filed with courts.
Ninety-four-year-old Zvart Sujyan has submitted a lawsuit for the
hereditary possession of the land on which the airport of Diyarbakir
(Tigranakert) is now located.
The Turkish press already writes that it is easier to give the
Armenians the private property seized from them a century ago than take
the matter as far as the fragmentation of the country. The Sabah newspaper reminds that 41 out of the 50 U.S. states, as
well as the parliaments of 22 countries have recognized the Armenian
Genocide. “The small state of Armenia has no influence, but the Armenian
Diaspora has… the grandchildren of the families deported from the
Ottoman Empire 100 years ago are carrying out a serious campaign. Let’s
see what kind of response Ankara will give to the noise that will be
raised in New York, Washington and Paris,” the newspaper writes.
In his turn, representative of the Turkish opposition Nationalist
Movement party Oktay Vural, referring to the information about the
Armenian Diaspora’s making land claims to Turkey, said that Erdogan’s
party, by returning back to Turkey the Armenians who had gone abroad, is
working on a program on returning lands to them.
He noted that the return to Armenians of the Ataturk Airport and the
Cankaya Palace, which Armenians consider to be theirs, is impossible,
but wondered whether the publication of such claims was accidental. On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which
is to be marked on April 24 this year, a situation has formed where the
main issue is not the claims of the Republic of Armenia to Turkey, but
the possible support by the US administration of the demands of the
Armenian Diaspora to Turkey.
Source: http://www.armenianlife.com/2015/01/27/analysis-armenia-wary-of-new-russo-turkish-alliance-based-on-neocolonialist-policies/
Richard
Giragosian: Armenia can't count on Russia any more
Slaying of Armenian family by a Russian soldier spurs intense debate over Armenia's security relationship with Russia
For Armenia, its role as a reliable partner and ally of Russia has never faced any real challenge. Much of this reliance on Russia stems from essential security and economic concerns. Armenia's security reliance on Russia is driven by a virtual state of war with neighbouring Azerbaijan, rooted in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, only exacerbated by the absence of "normal" diplomatic relations and closed border with Turkey. And with the Turkish refusal to recognise the Armenian genocide, this threat perception is only magnified. For small, landlocked Armenia, a strategic alliance with Russia is generally accepted as essential in the face of such inherent insecurity. And beyond an imperative of security, Armenia also depends on Russia as a crucial source of remittances, or money sent home by large numbers of Armenians living and working in Russia. Yet, there is a surprisingly intense debate now under way within Armenia that seriously questions these fundamental pillars of the Armenian-Russian relationship.
New challenge
More
specifically, this new challenge to Armenia's traditional reliance on
Russia is driven by two significant factors: tragedy and timing. A
tragedy first triggered this turnabout when a rogue Russian soldier
killed an entire Armenian family, save for a six-month-old infant who
later died of his stab wounds, in Gyumri, Armenia. Gyumri is the country's second-largest city and the host of the Russian military base.That senseless act
of random violence in the early morning hours of January 12, sparked an
immediate and spontaneous outpouring of grief and mourning. But the initial shock and grief quickly turned
to outrage, as Russian military officials seemed to take charge of the
case with a heavy-handed disdain and disregard for local sensitivities.
That perception was only deepened when Armenian officials were slow to
respond or react. It
was this mishandling of the tragedy, even more than the murder itself,
that then triggered a series of demonstrations and protests by local
Armenians in Gyumri. Fearing
that the Russian conscript would be moved from his detention within the
Russian base and likely returned to Moscow, local residents demanded
that the self-confessed soldier be turned over to Armenian authorities.
Calming tensions
For
its part, local Armenian officials and the prosecutor general scurried
to calm tensions by first announcing that Armenian investigators were
actively participating in the interrogation of the soldier, and then,
once that did little to appease the protesters, vowed that the soldier
would be tried in Armenia. Amid
the Armenian officials' wrangling over the legal process of the case,
the absence of any higher level Armenian officials, and the failure of
the Armenian president to declare a day of mourning or even make a
statement, only escalated the tension. And
days later, no Armenian official attended the funeral of the murdered
family, thereby triggering a fresh wave of indignant protests in the
city, that later spread to the capital, Yerevan. The protests soon moved
to the Russian consulate in Gyumri before culminating in a march on the
Russian base as protesters broke through a police cordon to enter the
base itself. Yet,
there is a deeper context to this public anger. In fact, that family is
only the latest victim in murders and shootings by Russian servicemen
stationed at the Russian military base. In
1999, two drunk Russian soldiers opened fire on a local market in the
city, killing two and injuring dozens of others. And in 2013, two
children were killed by unexploded ordnance on an unguarded tank firing
range on the premises of the Russian base.
Bad timing
Against
this backdrop, the tragedy has also raised renewed questions of base
security, with outrage that the armed soldier who reportedly deserted
his post triggered no notice or alarm by Russian military personnel at
the base. Although
this tragedy has prompted a new challenge to Armenian-Russian
relations, it is also exacerbated by a second factor, timing. The timing
of this tragedy could not be much worse, for several
reasons. First, in 2013, in what many perceived as Russian pressure on
its so-called "strategic partner", Armenia was forced to scrap its
planned free trade deal with the European Union in favour of joining the
Russian-led Eurasian Union. Second, a steady supply of arms and
advanced weapons systems to Azerbaijan from Russia has sowed further
distrust. And
most recently, the negative impact on the Armenian economy from western
sanctions imposed on Russia, evident in a sudden depreciation of the
Armenian currency and reflected in a steep decline in remittances, has
only revealed the asymmetry and lack of parity in Armenia's
"partnership" with Russia. It seems clear that this unexpected challenge
to Armenia's reliance on Russia will not dissipate any time soon.
Richard Giragosian is the founding director of the Regional Studies Centre, an independent think-tank in Yerevan, Armenia.
Zaruhi Postanjyan: Russian side broke international agreement
Legal relations between Armenia and Russia, the agreement on the military base, and the agreement on Russian frontier troops require that the Russian side should hand over soldier of the Russian 102nd military base Valery Permyakov, who is accused of killing a family in Gyumri, to Armenian law enforcement bodies, Heritage Party member Zaruhi Postanjyan said at a press conference today. According to her, “the Russian border guards made a flagrant violation of the law by handing V. Permyakov over to the Russian side. “Russia broke an international agreement. It has a provision that states clearly that a person who violates the Armenian border shall be handed over to the Armenian side. The Russian border guards were obliged to take Permyakov into custody and hand him over to us because he intended to cross the Armenian border,” the deputy said. She noted that regardless of whether the frontier violator was a Russian soldier or a citizen of Armenia or any other state, the Russian border guards had no right to detain and hand him over to the Russian side. “It is a flagrant violation of rights and is related not only to Armenia’s sovereignty, but also its Constitution,” Z. Postanjyan said. In her words, “Armenian citizens may justly demand that the agreements on the military base and border troops of the Russian Federation be terminated”. She stressed that a respectful attitude to Armenia stems from Russia’s interests in the first place.
Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a two-year-old girl, were killed in Gyumri on January 12. A seventh member of the family, a 6-month-old boy, was hospitalized in critical condition with stab wounds. Valery Permyakov, a soldier of the Russian 102nd military base, is suspected of the crime. On the night of January 13, Russian border guards detained V. Permyakov during an attempt to cross the Armenian-Turkish border. He gave evidence and confessed to the crime. He is being held in custody. Armenia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 104 (murder) of the Criminal Code. The press service of Armenian Health Ministry reported earlier today that doctors failed to save the life of six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan who was the only survivor of the brutal killing of his family in Gyumri on January 12. Despite the life-saving measures taken by high-class Armenian and foreign doctors, the child’s condition did not improve and he was pronounced dead at 5:02 pm Yerevan time.
EU Observer: Armenia murder galvanises anti-Russia felling
A
Russian soldier’s recent murders of seven members of an Armenian
family, including a six-month old boy, has ignited anger across our
country. It is not just the murders themselves that caused the outrage,
although killing an entire family with an AK-47 and a knife should be
enough to prompt nationwide fury. Adding to the consternation of many
Armenians was Russia’s indication
that it would try the soldier in a Russian military court rather than
surrender him to our government for trial. Many Armenians worry that a
Russian court will give him a light sentence or even ship him back to
Russia to be set free. Russia’s indication that one of its courts will
have jurisdiction is
also seen as the latest evidence of its growing neo-colonialist control
over its South Caucasus neighbour. With Russia playing the role of
Armenia's protector in its old
conflict with Azerbaijan, Russia critics say our government feels no
compunction about acting undemocratically - ignoring the rule of law,
stifling the opposition, and engaging in mass-scale corruption. There is
a stack of evidence to corroborate these claims - including
beatings and jailings of dissidents and the burning of opposition
figures’ cars. Those critics are calling for the government to start
extricating the country from the Kremlin’s bear-hug before it’s too
late.
Sphere of influence
There
have been several signs of increasing Russian influence in recent
years. To start with, Moscow has given no indication it will withdraw
the
3,000 troops it has stationed at Gyumri in northern Armenia. Although
ostensibly here to protect our sovereignty, many Armenians believe the
troops are on our soil as a veiled threat - a reminder of what could
happen if Yerevan refuses to toe the Kremlin line. Even more galling to
many of us who dislike Russian soldiers being in
our country is that Moscow pays Armenia nothing for the use of the
base. In addition to “protecting” Armenia with 3,000 troops, Russia is
also selling us arms. That is of small consolation to a lot of
Armenians, however, because
Moscow is also selling arms to Azerbaijan, the country with which we
fought a war after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russia is supplying
our government with cut-rate oil and gas.
Although that lowers our energy costs, it makes us vulnerable to a
Russian energy cut-off. That unnerves many Armenians, given Moscow’s
propensity to use energy as a weapon against neighbours. Our government
has also dug itself deeper into energy-dependence by
selling much of its oil and gas infrastructure to the Russians. The most
glaring example of Russia’s attempt to establish control
over Armenia is its bullying us to join the Eurasian Economic Union
rather than the European Union. In July 2013, Yerevan was ready to sign
both a free-trade agreement and a political association agreement with
the EU. Two months later, Russian president Vladimir Putin called
Armenian
president Serzh Sargsyan to Moscow like a feudal ord summoning his
vassal. Only government insiders know what Putin told Sargsyan. But
after their hour-long meeting, Sargsyan announced a 180-degree
turn-around on economic integration. We were going to join the Customs
Union, the forerunner of the EEU, instead of the EU, he said. The EEU
entered into life on 1 January 2015, with four members - Russia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia. Sargsyan probably thought he had little
choice but to accept Putin’s
dictates, given the 3,000 Russian troops in Armenia, the country’s
dependence on Russian energy, and the way Russia reacted to the uprising
which installed a pro-EU regime in Ukraine: invading Crimea and sending
Russian arms and troops into eastern Ukraine to help separatists.
Demonstrations
Much of our public was incensed about the u-turn on integrating with
the EU, which is our biggest trading partner, to integrating with the
EEU. A thousand or more Armenians turned out to demonstrate against
Russia’s role in the about-face when Putin visited the country in
December 2013. Many more thousands have turned out to protest the Russian soldier’s
killing of this young family and the possibility that he will be tried
by a Russian court. Indeed, those who contend that our government is becoming a
colonialist client of Russia have plenty of ammunition for their
argument. For the good of our country our leaders need to begin backing away
from Moscow. Seventy years of the Kremlin calling the shots in Armenia
during Soviet times was enough. It’s time for Armenia to throw off the Russian yoke once and for all.
Our people want to be free from a long-meddling neighbour whose
interests don’t coincide with ours.
Armine Sahakyan is a human rights activist based in Armenia
Россия должна сделать жесткие выводы из трагедии в Гюмри
Расстрел семьи в армянском городе Гюмри наглядно
продемонстрировал, насколько хрупки позиции России в Закавказье, и то,
насколько они важны. Подобные трагедии могут быть использованы для
политической атаки на такие важные объекты, как 102-я военная база, и
стать почвой для конфликта Москвы с ее ближайшими союзниками.
Событие преступления уже слишком известно, чтобы останавливаться на подробностях. Российский военнослужащий-срочник, 18-летний уроженец Читинской области, ушел из части с оружием, убил первую попавшуюся местную семью и попытался сбежать в Турцию, но был задержан на границе. В первое время после того, как информация об этом стала расходиться сперва по Гюмри, а затем и по Армении в целом, в ряде местных СМИ стали одна за другой выходить публикации откровенно антирусские и даже почти расистские. Акцент намеренно делался на гражданстве и национальности предполагаемого преступника. Затем пошли того же рода «обобщения» и «аналитика», а истерика перекочевала в интернет и социальные сети, где и пребывает до сих пор.
Подавляющее большинство армянских экспертов и представителей
правительства в подобном замечены не были. Наоборот, они пытались
урезонить участников истерики, разъясняя «дважды два»: делать упор на
национальности нельзя, вина пока не доказана, да и преступление по всем
признакам бытовое. Одновременно поползли слухи о том, что преступление
это якобы «не такое простое», «это все придумали турки», «его же на
турецкой границе взяли». Да, его взяли на турецкой границе, в
гражданской одежде, с фонариком и деньгами (в долларовом эквиваленте 12;
не тысяч, просто – 12 долларов).
Новый
всплеск эмоций естественным образом пришелся на день похорон жертв
трагедии. Разгоряченные люди двинулись к российской военной базе и
российскому консульству. Непосредственное участие в акции приняли, к
сожалению, и представители армянской церкви. Людей распалили слухи о
том, что солдата якобы собираются вывезти в Россию. Разумный довод о
том, что если бы хотели, уже пятьдесят раз бы вывезли, никого не
вразумил. Это было не столько политическое, сколько именно эмоциональное
действие. Столкнувшись с местной полицией, которая оцепила базу и
здание консульства, люди не разошлись. Появились «активисты» с
мегафонами, и митинг продлился до темноты.
Постепенно
градус истерики стал спадать, однако он искусственно поддерживается в
среде так называемых армянских активистов через социальные сети. Никаких
аргументов с реальным политическим содержанием «активисты» не приводят,
они лишь апеллируют к эмоциям шокированных людей (порой весьма
агрессивно). Как это ни парадоксально, вывода базы из Гюмри требуют
именно малообразованные российские «эксперты», а не «армянские
активисты». Эта категория «комментаторов» призывает уйти из Закавказья,
чтоб «они там сами с собой разбирались». В Армении же даже наиболее
популистские оппозиционные группы стали призывать к «совместному
расследованию» и «взвешенному подходу».
Основным поводом для политизации расследования стала юрисдикция. Солдат –
гражданин России, по Конституции он не может быть выдан другой стране.
Однако в российско-армянском Договоре 1997 года о правовом статусе
военных баз есть пункт № 4, согласно которому преступления, совершенные
военнослужащими базы или членами их семей на территории Республики
Армения, расследуются именно армянскими властями. Если бы преступление
было совершенно на территории базы, то такого спора бы не возникло.
Сейчас же юридическая коллизия привела к эмоциональному всплеску в
Гюмри. К слову, военнослужащие российских баз в Абхазии и Южной Осетии
пользуются абсолютным иммунитетом и ни при каких обстоятельствах не
попадают под юрисдикцию властей страны пребывания.
Компромисс,
между тем, реально существует, и к настоящему моменту он почти
выработан. Солдат остается на гауптвахте комендатуры базы, но
расследование будет проводиться в основном армянскими полицейскими. Это
разумно со всех сторон: и политической, и следственной. Передавать
сейчас солдата армянской полиции было бы большой ошибкой. Надо сказать,
что армянская полиция не сильно жаждет такого поворота событий, а
представители властей Армении стараются соблюсти именно юридическую
процедуру, не нарушив ничьи интересы. Только «активисты» продолжают
требовать чуть ли не немедленного линчевания, поскольку «он признался».
Стремление
Еревана к соблюдению духа и буквы соглашений с Россией трактуется
«активистами» как слабость президента Сержа Саргсяна и «унижение» перед
Москвой. Это только частично выглядит как эмоциональные крики
невыдержанных людей. Все больше и больше стало появляться
интернет-заявлений и комментариев по уже знакомому сценарию «пишет дочь
офицера, все не так однозначно...». Делается это как бы от лица «жителей
Гюмри», «уставших» от российской базы. Простая манипуляция словами
сразу меняет акценты. Например, говорится, что «это уже не первый случай
со 102-й базой», и сразу создается соответствующий негативный
эмоциональный фон. Да, не первый. С 1997 года – третий. Один раз местные
дети зачем-то пошли играть на артиллерийский полигон и подорвались на
старом снаряде. База проводила тяжелое расследование, которое выявило
недостатки в охранении полигона, хотя и родителям стоило бы лучше за
детьми смотреть. В другой раз, действительно, пара прапорщиков открыла
пьяную стрельбу на городском рынке. Здесь все понятно.
И
вот – случай номер три. Совместное расследование – единственный
разумный путь, поскольку оно просто обязано проводиться (даже
географически) в двух разных юрисдикциях. Непосредственно на месте
преступления следственные действия проводили армянские полицейские, они
же совместно с военной прокуратурой РФ проводят допросы подозреваемого.
Но выявление мотивов и характеристики личности солдата потребует,
например, допросов его родных в Читинской области, а также допросов
сослуживцев и командования базы. А это могут сделать только российские
следователи. Одна из заслуживающих внимания версий связана с
деятельностью пятидесятнической секты на «малой родине» солдата, в
поселках Читинской области. В частности, одним из старших пасторов там
обнаружился человек с такой же, как у солдата, фамилией. Степень их
родства пока только проверяется, как проверяются и вообще все
обстоятельства его 18-летней жизни до призыва. Это так называемая
характеристика личности, которая обязательно потребуется для прояснения
реальной картины происшедшего.
Но уже сейчас наиболее перспективной можно назвать версию о неуставных
отношениях среди военнослужащих 102-й базы. Слухи о нездоровой атмосфере
как на самой базе, так и вокруг нее, ходили давно. Изолированность
проживания и общая криминогенность вокруг объекта не способствуют
благочестию. Для того чтобы поддерживать дисциплину и порядок, нужны,
видимо, если не другие методы, то, по крайней мере, другие люди. Скорее
всего, командование базы, в частности, заместитель командующего по
воспитательной работе и прочие «политруки», понесут наказание при любом
исходе расследования. Но общие выводы по армии, к огромному сожалению,
последуют вряд ли. Даже несмотря на то, что разговоры о том, что так
называемую систему «воспитательной работы», построенную по устаревшим
лекалам, пора менять, идут уже давно. Как минимум назрела тотальная
переаттестация всех «политруков», на каких бы должностях они ни
находились (включая гражданскую службу).
Однако
вернемся в Армению. Значительная часть жителей Гюмри прямо зависит от
российской базы, работая в сфере ее обслуживания. В целом у российских
военных и местных всегда были очень хорошие отношения на бытовом уровне,
и среди «активистов» не нашлось жителей Гюмри, открыто требовавших
вывода базы. Она – один из ключевых пунктов обороны самой Армении, о ее
ликвидации не может идти и речи. Даже несмотря на некоторое улучшение
отношений Еревана и Анкары в последние годы, абсолютного доверия между
Арменией и Турцией не будет никогда. Даже если НАТО или США захотят
предоставить Еревану такие гарантии в обмен на вывод российских баз,
никто в Армении таким гарантиям не поверит. Историческая память в
регионе намного сильнее сиюминутных тактических раскладов. Другое дело,
что попытки раскачать ситуацию в Армении, используя какие угодно поводы,
причины и методы, участились, что не может не вызывать беспокойства.
Взаимоотношения с Арменией для России не только союзнические и
родственные. Армения особо важна как стратегический пункт, для которого
ближневосточный регион – задний двор. Российские военные базы в Армении
для РФ – форпост ближневосточной политики. Они специально выстраивались
как особый ТВД, на котором (вкупе с аналогичными базами в Южной Осетии и
Абхазии) мы способны самостоятельно вести конвенциональную войну до
прибытия подкреплений. База в Гюмри, например, самим своим
существованием парализует стратегические аэродромы НАТО в Эрзуруме и
Диярбакыре. Расквартированные в Гюмри и под Ереваном системы С-300 и
С-400 способны прикрывать воздушное пространство вплоть до северных
границ Израиля и Сирии. В период сирийского кризиса позапрошлого года
эти базы находились в режиме постоянного дежурства. Там же базируются и
российские истребители, в задачи которых входит патрулирование
воздушного пространства Армении, однако радиус их возможного действия
куда шире.
Одним
словом, российские военные базы в Армении – не прихоть и не дань
каким-то мифическим или историческим связям. Они – важная и сознательно
созданная часть российской военной стратегии во взрывоопасном регионе.
Причем это единственный пример того, что система тактической обороны
может быть вынесена за пределы РФ и дополнительно влиять на расклад сил
на совсем другом театре военных действий – Ближневосточном. Сейчас,
возможно, нечто подобное может быть сформировано в Средней Азии на базе
ВБ в Таджикистане и аэродрома в Киргизии (имея в виду афганское
стратегическое направление).
При
этом разговоры о выводе баз с территории Армении носят исключительно
дилетантский и эмоциональный характер. В Ереване действительно
обеспокоены тем, что в последние годы Россия стала продавать оружие
Азербайджану. Это вызывает глухой ропот и иные формы недовольства,
вплоть до отсылки к политике США, которые Баку вооружения не продают,
ссылаясь на наличие карабахской проблемы. Одновременно некоторые
представители российской дипломатии и политической элиты, расслабившись,
стали вести себя по отношению к Армении слишком уж неаккуратно.
Регулярно стали возникать локальные скандалы из-за неосторожных
высказываний, задевающих чувства и эмоции армян, что, конечно же, не
улучшает взаимопонимания. В последний год российско-армянские отношения
несколько раз обострялись до крайне неприятного уровня как раз из-за
странного поведения российских чиновников. Одновременно с этим Ереван
превратился в удобную площадку для различных НПО с американским или
европейским участием, которые организуют там всякого рода «конференции»,
«тренинги», «встречи народной дипломатии». В Москве, занятой совсем
другими проблемами, Армении уделяли слишком мало внимания, что в итоге и
привело к возникновению чувства отчуждения у части армянских
оппозиционных сил.
Скорее всего, в трагедии в Гюмри не больше конспирологии, чем в любом
другом подобном преступлении. Разумно предположить, что большая часть
вины лежит именно на офицерском составе базы, который много чего
недоглядел, сделал не так или не сделал вовсе. Глупость – такой же
источник человеческих бед и несчастий, как и злая воля, а глупость в
армии, на изолированной военной базе в чужой стране – угроза втройне.
Что-то наверняка найдут в прошлом солдата (это прошлое не могло быть
изумительным в многодетной семье в бедном поселке Читинской области).
Совместными усилиями и российской, и армянской сторон будет найден
разумный юридический компромисс, который, по большому счету, и
изобретать-то не надо: он на поверхности.
Однако
трагедия выявила несколько болезненных просчетов во внешней политике и
пропаганде. Во-первых, любое абсурдное антироссийское обвинение или
требование (например, вывести базы) может быть в любой момент
активизировано, и никто даже не попытается этому противостоять.
Во-вторых, не ведется никакой идеологической работы, разъясняющей смысл
существования российских баз в Закавказье, а если таковая и ведется, то
удивительно топорно, и не только в Армении. Например, в прошлом году
вокруг базы в Южной Осетии полыхал скандал из-за артиллерийских стрельб,
угрожавших соседним селам. Вместо того чтобы провести разъяснительную
работу и переговоры, «прикомандированные» в Цхинвал отставные
офицеры-политруки принялись угрожать журналистам и местным активистам,
по сути дела дискредитируя позицию и роль России. В-третьих, российские
посольства и военные миссии сосуществуют в параллельных мирах,
пересекаясь в основном на официальных приемах. То же можно сказать и о
командированных работниках из Москвы, включая пропагандистов.
Вкупе
это порождает атмосферу недоверия и отчужденности, в которой легко
циркулируют любые слухи и эмоциональные оценки антироссийского и даже
антирусского характера. А доверие, разрушенное таким вот образом,
восстанавливать придется годами.
Тигран Манасян. Операция «Пермяков», или Попытка поссорить Армению с Россией
Последние трагические события в армянском Гюмри и последующее
развитие сильно напоминает майдановский украинский сценарий. У некоторых
сил на Западе существует жизненно необходимая цель максимального
ослабления позиций России на постсоветском пространстве. Цена в данном
случае для них не имеет значения.
Проведем небольшой экскурс в
историю. После фактического отказа президента Януковича от парафирования
договора о евроинтеграции, как по волшебной палочке центр украинской
столицы захлестнула волна антиправительственных демонстраций. Несмотря
на готовность идти на уступки оппозиции, люди не расходились, более того
в Киев приезжали многочисленных лидеры западных государств с
поддержкой, фонд Сороса выделил миллионы долларов на «продолжение
банкета», произошли погромы, убийства, провокации, которые вылились в
государственный переворот. К власти пришли симпатичные Вашингтону и
Брюсселю люди (притом многие не имели на первых порах украинского
гражданства). Итог: ухудшение отношений с Россией, экономический кризис
на Украине, в России и Европе.
В Армении же произошло то, чего
крайне не желали многие западные аналитики. Армения также как Украина
внезапно отказалась от углубления в рамках программы «восточного
партнерства» и 2 января вступила в ЕАЭС. Это безусловно победа
российской дипломатии и поражение западной. Безусловно с этим мириться
не собирались, и идеи майдана в Армении зрели с прошлого года. Однако
освоив уроки «украинской весны» армянская оппозиция объединилась и
объявила, что майдана не потерпит и незаконных переворотов делать не
собирается.
Встал вопрос, как установить в Армении угодный для
западных сил режим. Попытки «майдана» не давали результатов. Лучшим
средством для некоторых западных кругов стала бы дискредитация в
армянском обществе России и российских вооруженных сил. Для этого нужно
была лишь искра, подогретая непростым экономическим положением в
Армении. Кто бы мог представить, что русский человек — братский народ —
может поднять оружие на армянина (да еще в Армении) и сделать это с
чрезвычайным «османским» зверством.
Решение было найдено в
кровавом, казалось бы, в банальном преступлении. Убийство этническим
русским — военным мирно спящей армянской семьи. Еще неизвестно, при
каких обстоятельствах было совершено преступление. Был ли Пермяков один,
или были сообщники-провокаторы. Был ли он в принципе на месте
преступления, или он пешка в многоходовой игре с целью ухудшения
отношений между Россией и Арменией. Как бы то ни было план дал
результаты практически сразу же и заимел эффект взорвавшейся бомбы.
Однако армянское общество в отличие от украинского, где западные НПО
сильно завладели умами солидной части граждан, оставалось традиционно
пророссийским. Ориентация на Россию в вопросах геополитической,
экономической и военной интеграции были для Еревана приоритетом
последние 24 года. Лишь после затягивания в вопросах реагирования
правительств Еревана и Москвы, люди стали выходить на улицы. Для армян
было оскорбительным молчание братской российской стороны.
Однако и
этого бы не произошло, если бы президент и первые лица Армении
мгновенно бы отреагировали и выступили бы с посланием к гражданам. В
России же ни по одному федеральному каналу не было сделано достойного
репортажа с целью успокоить граждан обоих государств, уже вовлекшихся в
он-лайн троллинг. Причины подобного поведения последней могут быть
разные, но это едва ли можно назвать поведением стратегического партнера
и союзника. Еще важный аспект (чего не ожидали в Москве). России
следовало передать этого нелюдя армянской стороне без лишних проволочек,
для этого существует двусторонняя правовая база. Этого не сделано до
сих пор. И возможно, сделано не будет. На мой взгляд, эта
принципиальность не имеет логического объяснения и является лишь
устарелой «великодержавностью». В наш век, когда люди живут в суверенном
обществе, подобная политика будет лишь подливать масла в огонь и
усиливать эффект «вбитого клина» между народами и государствами.
Практически во всех СМИ обсуждается эта тема, и горячих голов хватает с
обеих сторон. И это нехороший признак.
Уверен, прагматичность и мудрость народов, проживших не одно столетие
вместе восторжествуют и здравый смысл победит. Армяне и русские слишком
многое пережили вместе, чтобы из-за провокации (какой бы жестокой она
ни была) встать по разные стороны баррикад. Искренне приятно и
трогательно видеть как отдельные русские люди, как в самых верхах
власти, так и рядовые граждане, соболезнуют горю армянского народа и
осуждают преступника. Но для успокоения ситуации необходимо бороться с
корнем проблемы, а не с ее последствиями.
Тигран Манасян — кандидат исторических наук, политолог, специально для
Source: http://regnum.ru/news/polit/1885443.html
Денис Дворников: "Беда России в привычке говорить с соседями через губу — «Да куда они денутся!?»
«Беда России в этакой советской, солдафонской привычке говорить с
соседями через губу. „Да куда они денутся!?“ — так наши серые пиджаки
говорили про Прибалтику, про Грузию, про Украину… Теперь эти
горе-великодержавники с квадратными подбородками небрежно комментируют
ситуацию в Армении, забывая, что страшная трагедия в Гюмри произошла в
стране, пережившей геноцид, сумгаитские погромы. Армяне и помыслить не
могли, что такое „османское“ зверство возможно ожидать от человека в
российской военной форме», — пишет на своей страничке в «Фейсбук»
публицист, член Общественной палаты РФ, председатель общественного
комитета «За открытость правосудия» Денис Дворников.
Он считает,
что благодаря невнятной и неадекватной позиции, Россия выглядит, как
«этакая Византия на мелководье». «Бывшая империя, теряющая смыслы,
человеческий капитал, живущая картинками из военных фильмов советского
прошлого. Все технологии и идеологические модели, на которых мы пытаемся
строить что-то грандиозное и евразийское, относятся к категории
„секонд-хенд“… И вот на таком же вторичном рынке приобретены „демократия
с российскими особенностями“, „свободный рынок, адаптированный для
россиян“, и т.д. Будет ли это интересно народам, которые мы призываем к
новой интеграции? Дает ли это нам право на чувство собственного
превосходства?
Через губу нельзя говорить даже с микроскопическим
островным государством, если ты действительно осознаешь, что
представляешь великую страну… Да много ли надо было сделать?
Двухминутный сюжет по „Первому каналу“ в день трагедии, внятные и
терпеливые объяснения для собравшихся жителей Гюмри, объективная
информация для своих сограждан и искренние сожаления братской нации. Это
не стоит ни копейки из нашего худеющего бюджета. Но это бесценно с
точки зрения национального духа и совести. Но, к сожалению, эти простые
вещи стали недосягаемы после стольких лет отрицательной селекции,
сознательного отторжения от ответственных постов людей неравнодушных и
знающих», — пишет Дворников.
12 января во втором городе Армении Гюмри, где дислоцирована 102-ая
российская военная база, произошло убийство семьи из 6 человек.
Подозреваемый в преступлении — солдат-срочник базы Валерий Пермяков был
задержан при попытке пересечения армяно-турецкой границы и признался в
убийстве. После задержания его передали командованию 102-й российской
базы. Трагедия вызвала широкий общественный резонанс, имели место
общественные волнения в Ереване и Гюмри, а также призывы отказаться от
российского военного присутствия в республике.
Source: http://regnum.ru/news/society/1885346.html
Лавров: Трагедию в Гюмри пытаются политизировать
Ситуацию в Гюмри пытаются политизировать, причем не Армения. Об этом
сегодня, 21 января, заявил министр иностранных дел РФ Сергей Лавров в
ходе своей традиционной большой пресс-конференции по итогам 2014 года.
Как сообщили ИА REGNUM
в пресс-службе Министерства иностранных дел, на пресс-конференции
Лавров отвечает на вопросы относительно событий на Украине, Ближнем
Востоке, отношениях России с зарубежными странами. Он выразил уверенность, что из-за трагедии в Гюмри отношения с
Арменией не пострадают. «Гордый армянский народ никогда не поведется на
провокации», — подчеркнул Лавров. «Все, что необходимо для расследования
этой трагедии, будет сделано, — пообещал глава МИД РФ. — Убежден, что
российско-армянские отношения не пострадают». Напомним, как ранее сообщало ИА REGNUM,
военнослужащий российской базы в Армении рядовой Валерий Пермяков
подозревается в том, что 12 января самовольно с оружием ушел в город
Гюмри, где в одном из домов убил целую семью из семи человек, включая
младенца.
Source: http://www.regnum.ru/news/polit/1886572.html
В разговоре с Сержем Саргсяном Владимир Путин выразил соболезнования всему армянскому народу
Президенты России и Армении Владимир Путин
и Серж Саргсян провели сегодня телефонный разговор, в ходе которого
стороны обсудили ситуацию вокруг расправы над семьёй в армянском городе
Гюмри. Об этом, как передаёт ТАСС, сообщил пресс-секретарь российского
президента Дмитрий Песков. «Путин высказал уверенность, что все необходимые следственные действия
будут проведены в самые сжатые сроки и виновные понесут наказание,
предусмотренное законом», — сообщил пресс-секретарь президента Дмитрий
Песков. «Путин также выразил надежду, что прибывшие в Гюмри российские врачи
вместе с армянскими коллегами окажут всю необходимую
высококвалифицированную помощь выжившему в этой трагедии шестимесячному
Серёже Аветисяну», - сказал пресс-секретарь. «Президент России также заверил своего армянского коллегу, что в случае
необходимости Россия будет готова направить медицинский самолёт, чтобы
доставить ребёнка в Москву для прохождения дальнейшего лечения», — добавил он. Напомним, что 12 января в областном центре области Ширак Гюмри
военнослужащий российской военной базы рядовой Валерий Пермяков,
находясь в карауле, самовольно оставил пост и с оружием и боеприпасами
отправился в город. Он проник в один из домов, где расстрелял из
автомата шестерых спавших членов одной семьи, включая двухлетнего
ребёнка, и ранил шестимесячного младенца. Пермяков оставил на месте
преступления обмундирование и обувь с именными бирками, а также автомат и
неизрасходованные боеприпасы, и скрылся. В тот же день ночью при
попытке перехода границы с Турцией его задержали российские
пограничники, которые охраняют госграницу Армении. Минздрав РФ направил
ведущих российских специалистов для оказания помощи полугодовалому
мальчику, выжившему в резне.
I did not expect to write a commentary such as this, to say the least. The degree of the brutality of massacre in Gyumri - and the hands through which it came - shocked me and made me feel helpless, depressed and disgusted. I felt like giving up because by trying to place the massacre of an entire family within a wider geopolitical context and by criticizing the protesters I felt like I was becoming an apologist for the brutal murders. How could I look at the bigger picture when confronted with the barbaric slaying of little children, by a Russian soldier nonetheless? On an ideological and rhetorical level, I felt checkmated by the incident.This tragedy took a lot out of me. I felt I could no longer win this argument. I feel that whoever/whatever carried out this massacre scored a major blow against Armenian-Russian relations, a blow that will linger on in the people's subconscious for many, many years to come. I was very reluctant to write this at first but I felt I had to; and I did, but with a very heavy heart.
ReplyDeleteVery timely Arevordi. Thank you for this well composed entry it was really needed I think. Im worried about the homeland also, I have not seen this much tension in Armenia. You are right, its like attacks from all sides. Somethings going to happen.
DeleteLongtime reader
Arevordi
DeleteAs hard as it is for you, we kind of need your input and direction such times. If you are having hard time, imagine how hard it is for a younger generation to restrain emotions and sort out events with sober mind. We are here to share good and bad days. Russian-Armenian relations will always have good and bad days. We need to celebrate the good and share the pain we feel on bad days. I appreciated the heart you put into this commentary.
TK (originally posted February 5 at 21:00)
The killer must be condemned, sentenced and executed ( if the law has the death penalty) in Armenia. The investigation and forthcoming court martial is taking too long. The longer this assassin is kept alive the worse is for the climate between the two nations. People looking into conspiracies need to button out and put a quick end to the scoundrel murderer. The investigation into his background will lead to nowhere. In the end the murderer will be certified as insane . If he did not act alone, it would be very simple to ascertain and verify. The assassin has the looks of a Mongoloid brute, Brawns and no brains. Justice is taking too long. This is an open and shut case.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxJ_TJFajjU&list=RDyFuVifWaplw&index=20
ReplyDeleteTurks cannot be our brothers; Russians cannot be our brothers; there is only us--Armenians--allow this to post, thanks!
Ok, since Arevordi posted on this topic. In the last topic I posted what Valerij Pyakin said on the topic, and here is another opinion from a known figure in russia's patriotic circles media sphere:
ReplyDeleteNikolaj Starikov is asked:
Good day Nikolaj Viktorovich. First question about what happened in Armenia. There happened a very load killing that is blamed on our serviceman. Is this really so or not, how is it going to impact our policy, and our relations with Armenia?
Starikov answers:
It was Joseph Stalin who said that if a certain incident has certain political fallout, that incident should be closely scrutinized. Here we have exactly such a scenario. I'll remind you that this year the Eurasian economic union makes its debut, Armenia officially joins it, and then you have this hard to believe evil act. A Russian serviceman, came in to drink some water and then kills a whole family including small children -- well it's just something that one would refuse to believe.
More than likely, and I state here my personal opinion, this horrific crime was committed by the person who is suspected. That's horrible, but its the truth. But its another thing, that pro-American forces are immediately trying to capitalize on this and shake up the situation. There is a natural reaction in peoples outrage. Gyumri isn't a very big place, everyone knows everyone. Besides in 2015 Armenian people are marking the genocide committed by the turks of Armenian people, and here you basically have a genocide of a single family. What should Russia do in this situation? First of all is to calm the emotions that are raging in the Armenian people. Armenian people are our most loyal allies. Armenia is the only country in the post-Soviet space that loves Russia and wants to be an ally of Russia while not demanding anything from Russia. Why? Armenians are a very ancient people, I will remind that Armenia was part of the Byzantine empire -- some Byzantine emperors were Armenian -- Byzantium was a multi-ethnic/national statehood and in some ways it is the image of the Russian statehood in not only the spiritual, religious, ideological sense -- but also in the way of the structure of the state itself - and in that statehood there were several emperors who were Armenian. So ancient people, ally of Russia, and you go and have a situation like this...
What we should do is carefully look at the agreement between Armenia and Russia and what it says about punishment of criminals in this case and then we will understand what processes govern the trial and punishment. My personal opinion is that the trial should be conducted in Armenia, it should be open so Armenians see that no one is giving this criminal any kind of preferential treatment -- this question is fortunately already adressed -- the only question that remains is under whose juridisction will this be Russia's or Armenia's -- here we have to follow whatever is written agreement between Russia and Armenia.
Starikov goes to to say that his opinion is that this crime deserves the death penalty, and then goes on to give his parties speel that they want to bring the death penalty back and so on..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9lrDzVPJpA
Thank you, Skhara
DeleteWhen I was a child I would hear news reports about American soldiers in South Korea going insane and killing the civilians they were there to protect. The US army realized that this couldn't continue and took actions to prevent similar incidents. I'm sure Russia will do the same. Have contract soldiers only at the 102st is the first step.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the traitors of "Pre-Parliament" have changed their name to "Founding Parliament". These idiots were trying to get into Artsakh but were stopped by the locals and the police at Berdzor. Since Artsakh doesn't have to follow the "complementary politics" of Yerevan they did what they had to do - give them a good beating.
ReplyDeleteThese traitors didn't even get the chance to enter Artsakh and one of them got beat so bad he had to be taken to the hospital in Goris.
Good news to start the day with on a Sunday morning.
http://armenianow.com/news/60237/armenia_founding_parliament_police_karabakh_motor_march
Lernakan
Video of the incident:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo
"Founding Traitors" accomplished their goal; dividing Armenians, causing clashes, hate and violence. Unfortunately, it seems that 2015 will again be a very good year for the Turks. Turks say Armenians are the biggest enemy, Armenians say Armenians are indeed the biggest enemy, so history seems to be repeating itself, let's see how many Armenians will beat / kill / betray each other on 24 April, 2015.
Good finds by Lernakan and Kim Philby, I agree completely with what both of you stated. I am glad to see Artsakh's leadership is no more tolerant of mercenaries attacking from the Armenian border as it is of mercenaries attacking from the Azeri border.
DeleteI find the internal Armenian dynamics on Artsakh worrisome. Freelance traitor LTP tried his hardest to turn Yerevan and the rest of the Republic of Armenia against the "Karabakh clan" and by extension against all of our brothers and sisters in Artsakh, and he succeeded in creating some longterm tensions within Armenians. Worthless piece of shit Ara Manoogian and his whore wife and cohorts try to do the same in the Diaspora. These monstrous plagues within Armenia play directly into the hands of the Azeris/Turks and openly serve the interests of our enemies.
I sincerely hope top Armenian officials from Artsakh like Serj Sargsyan and Seyran Ohanyan view this as a personal insult and a declaration of war; and finally begin eliminating this festering problem inside Armenia.
And isn't it particularly sad that these enemies of Armenia tried to send in a squad to launch a psychological-sociological-political sabotage operation against the Armenian fortress Artsakh, and when they were repelled they retreated to safety in a neighboring Armenian region like Goris? The Armenian opposition is a mirror image of the Azeri Army, which tries send in commando squads to launch military sabotage operations against the Artsakhi fortress, and then is forced to retreat to the safety of neighboring Azeri regions. There can be no mercy shown to these animals, no punishment is too harsh for their crimes.
I just finished watching the video. Artsakh taught those traitors the same lesson that it taught the Azeris in the 1990s. I commend the heroic restraint shown by our soldiers and countrymen in not terminating those criminals as they fled back to Armenia; especially in light of the fact that they disobeyed the orders of border security agents and took off in their cars, endangering the lives of everyone on the road.
DeleteHad this been regular American police, they would have opened fire without mercy and arrested the survivors... Had this been American military of border control then there would have been no survivors.
And Jirayr Sefilyan finally came full circle in leading an attack against Artsakh. Armenia needs to deport him, that so-called ASALA political wing leader jackass and the other immigrant troublemakers back to their Muslim-majority homelands in the Middle East.
Artsakh should issue arrest warrants for these jackals and demand extradition from Armenia.... Let's see how long before the opposition tries to rally a protest against the Artsakh office in Yerevan, how long before they show up holding Azeri flags or burning Artsakh flags.
All in all, this has been a terrible new year. I am very worried about the whole situation in Armenia. I feel as if something terrible awaits the country. There are no winners in what happened in Artsakh yesterday. Armenia is the loser in all this. And those at fault are not only the country's Western-led political opposition but also the country's incompetent leadership. Armenia is being screwed from both sides. Armenia is being screwed from the outside and the inside.
DeletePS: Today's ASALA (an old man's club with a few dubious characters) is backed by a European power (presumably France or Britain). I know this from an inside source. Do not take anything they say or do seriously.
դեպի Արցախ
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_gw67wPJyY&feature=share
At 1:14 the officer matter-of-factly states that if anyone thinks they can carry out work to further the interests of foreign governments within Artsakh, they are mistaken. The following speakers state that if the "centennial without regime" agitators are truly worried about this country, then they should go to the front lines or at least work to support the real men who are manning the front lines where the real danger is... Of course that is a rhetorical suggestion because we all know those gypsy scum from the sewers around Armenia who were in that damn convoy despise Armenia and Artsakh and our military more than the Azeris do. One of the speakers mentions the August 2014 skirmishes when real Armenian men who were actually concerned for the nation voluntarily marched to the frontlines to give support to the young soldiers keeping the Azeris at bay. I can only imagine that the regime change scum were in their apartments
At 3:00 we are promised that the veterans of Artsakh, who 23 years ago decimated the invading Azeris, will absolutely not allow such games to be played o Artsakh's borders.
Sarkis (originally posted on February 5 at 4:08)
Parents of these kids should be arrested for child abuse:
DeleteԵրեխաները՝ Բերձորում տեղի ունեցածի մասին: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE-6rn6isag
Arto1
Pre-Parliament agitators are begin very irresponsible even with their children. Stuff like this cannot be allowed because NKR is war zone. I guess this is what it means when we say Armenians do not understand statehood.
DeleteLongtime reader (originally posted February 5 at 10:02)
How American, using children to push a political campaign. Sick and disgusting people. Anyone associated with the current regime change movement in Armenia needs to be arrested, and as this video proves some of them probably need to be lobotomized and sterilized if we want to see any improvement in Armenia's future.
DeleteSarkis (originally posted on February 4 at 19:23)
FP extremists should not have tried to draw Artsakh into their Neo-Bolshevik nonsense, especially at a time like this when the region is in a virtual state of war. FP extremists should not have taken their women and children with them, especially after they were told that their presence was not wanted in Artsakh. Yes, as usual, FP extremists screwed up big time. With that said, however, I think Artsakh police overreacted and looked thuggish. The region's law enforcement could have acted more professional by setting up a roadblock to stop the traveling circus. They could have then ordered the traveling circus to return back to Armenia. Clowns that did not obey orders could have been arrested. Clowns that attempted to resist arrest could have then - and only then - been roughed up. In situations like this, when there are no laws being flagrantly broken, I do not condone police violence. This did not have to happen this way. The only winners here are Turks and Azeris watching from the sidelines.
DeleteOnce more: I primarily blame our incompetent politicians in Yerevan for allowing things to get out of hands like this. I will NOT place ANY blame on Artsakh authorities for ANYTHING simply because the territory is in a state of war. It was Yerevan's job to stop the motorcade from reaching Artsakh.
I know it's the south Caucasus, I understand we are talking about Armenians, but Armenian law enforcement bodies need to act professional and more consistent in strictly enforcing law and order in the country. For example: Why treat FP in this manner, at the same time allow aggressive protesters to get nasty with police and burn Russian flags in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan? The thugs in front of the embassy should have been the ones beaten and arrested. I really think Armenian officials don't know what the fuck they are doing. Their incompetence (choban behavior) is fueling the country's Western-led political opposition.
PS: Jirayr Sefilian's time in Armenia has long expired. The man is no longer serving Armenian interests, and hasn't done so in twenty years. Armenian officials should hang a medal around his neck and thank him for his service to the motherland twenty years ago, then politely place him and his wife on the very next flight to Beirut and say bye-bye.
There has been a glitch with blogger. A lot of the posted comments have been lost. I will see if I can retrieve any of them tomorrow. I apologize for this inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to email you asking if something went wrong or if you were being hacked. Hope it is just a glitch...
DeleteVahram
I was moderating new comments and somehow a bunch of the posted comments disappeared. I don't know what happened. Blogger acts funny sometimes. I don't think it's a hacking. Anyway, I am particularly upset about losing the discussions about Armenia's complimentary politics and about Christian Orthodoxy. If any of you have copies of what you posted in the last several days please repost.
DeleteExcellent description of how the predatory ruling class of the Anglo-American-Zionist alliance manipulates its over-medicated and dumbed-down audience by reducing their public justifications for war to a personal campaign against a foreign leader like Assad or Putin. No explanations of the wider geopolitical context or actual objectives (securing resources and world domination) never get explained. Zionist Kike war-monger thomas friedman of the NYT is singled out for a well-deserved shaming (although it is impossible to shame a shameless person like friedman). The controlled media is like a mix between "The Power of Nightmares" and "Idiocracy."
ReplyDeletehttps://consortiumnews.com/2015/01/30/group-thinking-the-world-into-a-new-war/
Friedman: “Ukraine matters — more than the war in Iraq against the Islamic State, a.k.a., ISIS. It is still not clear that most of our allies in the war against ISIS share our values. That conflict has a big tribal and sectarian element. It is unmistakably clear, though, that Ukraine’s reformers in its newly elected government and Parliament — who are struggling to get free of Russia’s orbit and become part of the European Union’s market and democratic community — do share our values. If Putin the Thug gets away with crushing Ukraine’s new democratic experiment and unilaterally redrawing the borders of Europe, every pro-Western country around Russia will be in danger.”
Friedamn, you and your tribe if allowed to continue strangling Ukraine and corrode Western Europe are the stark danger. Ukraine new democratic experience, is shared values with those of your tribe, . What values is this dog talking about, not European values, but Friedamn tribe's values. It is the epitome of insouciance that whilst the world burns in flames, peace and tranquility ( save for a few flying dustbins --rockets-- which generally fall onopen grounds) reigns in the tribeland of Friedamn. When are we going to see civil strife, civil war in the tribeland of Friedamn ?. It was reported in a caption that the four bandidos in photo montage for the press of the Ukranian government chiefs on duty and horse face John Kerry happened to be all from Friedman's tribe , Vitaly Klitcho, mayor of Kiev, brainless brawn , the chocolate Beelzebub president Poroshenko and the patsy eunuch of Yatuseniek. What a coinciden, what an egregious coincidence, 4 tribesmen, chosenite running the destinies of the Ukranian people.
DeleteEurasian
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a very good point about Armenia not being able to juggle both superpowers. That is the basis of the problem at hand today. Russians are upset with Yerevan. The West is upset with Yerevan. Armenians are upset with Yerevan.And Yerevan officials are upset that no one is happy with their attempt to make everyone happy.
Making people happy is not a serious national policy!
Yerevan's appeasement policies has allowed Western mercenaries a free hand in the country's internal affairs. Consequently, sociopolitical unrest and Russophobia is spreading in the country, especially amongst younger Armenians. This is a serious danger, but Armenians officials either do not care or are too stupid to realize it. Armenia has too many problems both internal and external. Armenia is too young and it is too inexperienced. Armenia is awfully unprepared to sit at the negotiation table with Western powers, who are the world's undisputed masters of deception and
manipulation.
Margaret Thacher once said: "Those in the middle get run over". That is exactly what is currently happening to Armenia. While Yerevan's politics of appeasement to Western powers (complimentary politics) helped Armenia somewhat during the 1990s when Russia had more-or-less become a failed state, it is now hindering Armenia's forward progress and threatening its security. To those who say Yerevan has to keep ties with the West in case something goes wrong with Russia: First, there will NOT be a repeat of what happened in Russia in 1917! Second, if Russia somehow decided to join with Turks/Azeris and turn against Armenia, who in their right minds would believe that West will actually come to Armenia's aid?! Third, if an unforeseen calamity was to his Russia and Moscow was forced to pull back its troops from the Caucasus, who in their right minds believe that the West will lift a finger to help us if Turks and Azeris go to war against Armenia? The ONLY agenda the West has for Armenia is to have Armenia get out of its way so that it can exploit Central Asian energy free of Russian and Iranian meddling. The only way the West can get Armenia out of their way is to get Russia out of Armenia first.
I really don't understand how more Armenians don't see all this. This is NOT rocket science.
The Caucasus region has turned into a volatile powder keg as a result of the Great Game (ie Western meddling). Armenia has stagnated as a result of its complimentary politics (politics of appeasement towards all). Armenia today is being torn apart between two competing superpowers. It's high time for Yerevan to stop its foolish flirtations with Western powers and begin formulating a serious, long term national policy that seeks to extract all potential benefits from its alliance with Russia, and establish deeper relations with Iran, India and China.
I believe Yerevan is playing the whole complimentary politics thing up until they are done with the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide (although in my opinion it is a complete and utter waste of time). Because you know, Western leaders (French President, the Pope, American congressmen, Europeans etc. etc.) are making "pro-Armenian" statements, some are going to come to Yerevan on April 24, make Armenians happy, and so on and so forth. Yerevan is playing the same game with them, showing "gratitude" to the west.
DeleteI would understand to a certain degree if Yerevan kept on playing this game until April 24.But, if after the Centennial Yerevan is still trying to appease Western powers, that will prove to be disastrous and will take the incompetency of our leadership to a whole new level. After April 24, starting from April 25, I really hope to see drastic changes in Yerevan (especially those NGOs)...
There is no other rational explanation for playing complimentary games after joining the Eurasian Union. The only other explanation would be that we really really suck at foreign politics. I really hope the former case is the correct one.
Svediatsi (originally posted on February at 17:13)
Svediatsi
DeleteHaving a deadline of April 24th is not good. It gives the West the chance to provoke things till then. Besides, it is an example of lousy thinking. What Armenia needs is a high-level rep from China coming and saying that China wants to invest. Followed by a high-level politician from Iran saying they want some kind of transportation or IT or whatever infrastructure built. Some of this doesn't even have to be that real. For example, a delegation of IT types from India could come to advise on how to promote an IT zone for offshore workers. Armenia needs to separate the politics of theatre from the politics of improving business and the quality of life for the masses. What if the Kremlin's biggest concern these days was over how the WWII memorials were handled? People would lose all faith in the country. I have never been to Armenia and cannot judge, but would imagine that a fair number of talented young people would look at the leadership of the country and say "I am getting out of here."
As far as "keeping ties with the West" goes, that is, again, muddled thinking. There will be plenty of ties with the West due to the overseas population. But you need to get rid of the Soros types. From the West's point of view, Armenia is joining the Eurasian Union and is now an enemy. So expect destabilization attempts. It is foolish to try to be friends with someone who openly wants you done in. It is now in America's geopolitical interests to see a civil war in Armenia. There are professionals who are good at instigating such things, and some of them are now in Yerevan. Just doing their job.
Eurasian (originally posted on February 4 at 23:16)
Eurasian,
DeleteI agree with you in theory that having April 24 as deadline is not good. To me personally, it's better to get rid of all these shows and spectacles. We're merely fooling ourselves and wasting our time.
As for high-level rep from China or Iran or India to come to Armenia and ask for investment, I would say it should be the other way around. If proper work is done, if Armenians have a clear policy, in this case economic policy, it is Armenians that should send such delegations to these countries and show them what Armenia has to offer.
The fact is that Armenia needs those big countries more than they need Armenia. So for them investing or not investing in Armenia is not something as big as it is for Armenia.
Armenians need to be proactive in the economy, in culture, in military, in everything. We have no other choice. Armenians as a nation need to push forward everything, or else the country will remain in permanent stagnation, as it is now.
Also, this may sound a bit harsh, but Armenians prefer immediately handing everything over others (in this case Russia) and do nothing. Of course, I'm not suggesting the opposite, but there are methods in doing this. When we hand over everything and then wrap our arms and do nothing, even our allies won't respect us.
The fact is that Armenians need to be more proactive in nation building as a whole. When other nations see that you're working/fighting for what you want, you will gain respect and sympathy, and you will become more attractive for foreign investors.
It was the same story in 1918 military-wise, when Armenians pushed the turks out of Eastern Armenia. If turkey wanted to attack Armenia very badly, and if the Europeans had turned a blind eye just like how they did for the Genocide, it would have and chances are they would've won, but it would've been at a higher cost to turkey because there was a sizable fighting force this time.
Since this topic of Armenian proactiveness came up, let me share with you this article. I don't know if Arevordi had read this before, but he constantly talks about Armenian traits: http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-ArmPsyche
Svediatsi (originally posted on February 5 at 11:05)
On Syria:
ReplyDeleteSome may recall that a few months ago I said a new, perhaps final chapter on the Syrian tragedy has began. Recent events regarding Jordan is in my opinion part of the final chapter. I do not think the Jordanian pilot was burned alive. I personally think the whole thing, like the beheadings of Westerners before it, was faked. Even the timing of the announcement of the pilot's death, which came while Jordan's king was in Washington, was suspicious. But whether the pilot died or not is really not the issue here for he may very well have been killed. As with all ISIS acts, the purpose of his burning was to, again, "shock and awe" the public. What's more poignant and revealing is the political reaction coming out of Amman and Washington to the alleged burning. The spontaneous anti-ISIS protests in Amman (mostly by military age men) looks anything but spontaneous. The official Jordanian reaction feels very orchestrated. Jordan's American style war fever and the "tough" rhetoric coming out of Amman seems formulated to appeal to Western sentiments. I mean stupid crap like this -
The king of Jordan sent out this badass photo in response to ISIS: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/photo-king-jordan-looking-badass-132100812.html
As we all know, ISIS was meant to "shock and awe" the sheeple into backing an invasion of Syria by Western or Western-backed forces. As we all know, their geostrategic agenda was and is to create a swath of Western-Saudi backed Sunni state between Damascus and Baghdad. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Jordan, along with Turkey, was a strategic staging area for the anti-Assad war effort.
With Erdogan's increasingly belligerent behavior, not to mention his neo-Ottoman fantasies, pissing off policymakers in Washington and Tel Aviv, it seems obvious that the Anglo-Arab king of Jordan has been chosen the lead the Sunni war effort in Syria. I think we will eventually see an invasion of regions in Syria that are currently occupied by ISIS by Western-backed Arab forces. All this may be coordinated with Assad's government. I suspect that a deal has been reached or is in the process of being reached with Assad. I think Syria's final partition has been decided by all powers involved in the civil war, including Russia. I think that in time a new Western-backed Sunni state will be created within the former territories of Syria and Iraq.
Ultimately, the four year old Syrian tragedy will prove to be a stalemate. There will not be any clear winners. Western/Israeli/Saudi/Turkish interests were not able to defeat Shiite-backed Alewites and the Hezbollah; Shiite-Alewite interests were not able to create a continuous link from Lebanon to Iran. With that said, Turkey and Israel will be the wild cards in the geopolitical formulation process. Ankara still wants a final say in how Syria will look after the war ends, Ankara still wants leverage over Iraqi Kurds. Israel, for its part, still wants to see Hezbollah defeated or disarmed and it still wants to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. Therefore, Turkish and Israeli actions will remain unpredictable.
Spot on with the analysis. it seems like there might be infighting who will control that new sunni state. Turkey, Saudis and Israel/USA may end up crushing with each other for control. That should be a good time for Assad to make gains.
DeleteTK (originally posted on February 5 at 20:45)
I agree with Arevordi's analysis. It seems that a final deal is close. There are certain parts of Syria where their fates had been long decided. The Damascus and Latakia regions are to be given to the Alawis, to form an Alawistan. There will for sure be a Sunni country, and probably a Kurdish one (though that I am not too sure of).
DeleteBut many events are showing that certain regions are a done deal.
Why the hell did the rebels suddenly pull back from Kessab?! They had the capabilities to fight longer. Why the sudden retreat to the turkish border?!
Same thing in Qalamoun (the part between Lebanon and Syria borders). Suddenly supplies were cut to the rebels fighting there.
Currently a very small portion is left on the border between the Bekaa valley of Lebanon and western Syria. It's been more than 2 weeks now that heavy fighting is going on in these regions, as Assad's army is attacking them on one side, while the Lebanese Army are making sure nobody gets in from the other side. Gunshots/Explosions are always heard from Anjar.
The only place where I believe hasn't been decided yet is the city of Aleppo. I believe both sides want it, but it has been a stalemate for a long time now.
I agree that the beheadings and such are staged - like so many events inside the US these days. And the thing in Paris looks very dubious, too.
DeleteHowever, I am not so sure about the situation with Syria. My read on it is that Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah have been doing fairly well, and that a lot of the strength of ISIS is just media exaggeration. Also, Erdoghan seems to feel betrayed on some Kurdish matters, and the US is at war with him anyhow. Besides, the Islamic Caliphate Gulen network project for Turkey to Western China isn't going to work. And DC is now totally dysfunctional, as can be seen by the recent call by the CFR to replace everyone in the Obama administration with old CFR hands.
Not making progress in Aleppo seems to just be Moscow trying to prove it is useful to the West. Ugly, but that is what they do. It doesn't change the reality on the ground that much.
At the end of the day, though, it will be hard to dislodge an ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq if the usual suspects keep funding things. But the threat to Damascus seems to be over, and that makes the dynamics of cutting a deal very different. What is it that the West can offer Assad? You probably know that some serious analysts, such as Thierry Meyssan, are now arguing that the West actually wants him to win, which is totally different from a year ago or so. Maybe they can all agree on a Transdenistrian scenario, where the US can pretend to bomb them for the next few years in an agreed-upon territory.
Svediatsi,
You may be right, but a simple alternative is simply that the insurgents have been losing all over. The internal support for the war has collapsed. The experience and capabilities of the SAA have gotten much better. The harsh reality is they were not prepared for this kind of war - another major failing of Assad, with his attempts of neo-liberalism and trying to be friends with the West.
Eurasian
Eurasian,
DeleteThe insurgents have lost all over the important/strategic parts of Syria, from Assad's perspective (From Damascus to Kessab, aka the Mediterranean coast and where Alawites and other minorities make up the majority). But the Desert has been taken over by either the Syrian Free Army, ISIS or the Kurds. The Syrian Free Army/Nusra Front are still fighting in Aleppo, south of Damascus, west of Yabrud, southern Qalamoun (bordering Lebanon), and of course half of Aleppo.
But I agree that Assad has succeeded in taking over most of these places starting late 2013 due to the loss of internal support for the insurgents. Currently it seems to be a stalemate-like situation, but slow gains are being made in the Qalamoun region. When a deal is reached, it seems obvious that the Alawites are getting their own state from the Jordanian border up to the entire Syrian Mediterranean coast.
I wouldn't say it was the Syrian Army's fault that they lost at the beginning. I remember about a year ago reading in the comments of this blog from either Skhara or Zoravar about why the SAA failed at the beginning at it made perfect sense. The SAA was armed and trained in a manner to conduct war with a foreign enemy (Israel). They were not trained to conduct internal urban warfare and/or guerilla tactics.
American spy ... political "expert"... political opposition activist in Yerevan... American-Armenian agent Richard Giragosian in Turkey -
ReplyDeleteAdnan Oktar'ın Ermenistan Düşünce Kuruluşu RSC Direktörü Richard Giragosian ile sohbeti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMA27GfrF0&spfreload=10
I just watched the video of that օտար mutt richard giragosian and in the room with his turkish brethren. He talks about a "shared future" with the turks, and I agree because the Turkish state and agent giragosian both have a very bleak future, and both will be made to pay for their crimes against the Armenian nation. I hate Turks, but I can at least understand that it is in their primitive and barbaric nature to lie and attack us Armenians in hopes of covering up their past crimes and trying to take the little land that we have left. But I have no understanding for the treasonous behavior of vile, traitorous scum like giragosian; I feel nothing but contempt and hatred for him and all of the other opposition trash.
DeleteGiragosian has been playing with fire for a very long time, and doing so on hostile territory (Armenia is not his home). We all know the say about what happens to those that play with fire.
ps What is it with all of the reconciliation idiots yapping on about "love, beauty and brotherhood?" I hear those same words over and over from the Turkophile Armenians that I come across, and especially from the slavish Bolsahays I have met. I know giragosian is a snake and does not believe in that shit, but there are so many grown Armenian "men" who hear a turk say "we love our Armenian brothers" and they break down into tears. I think it is the ultimate result of feminization and pussification, men who are abject cowards and devoid of even a shred of dignity.
Sarkis
Guiragossian is a invertebrate proditor. Who is this Freemason oktar and his bevy of bleached blondes surrounding him ruminating and musing rhapsodically on esoteric, political, religious and social subjects in a philosophical vein ?. The proditor utter asinine snippets of humanism, brotherhood and the there is only one alternative, that of love, bliss, and reconciliation. Oktar mumbles eructations of a Turkic world without borders .? All nations will become absorbed in this Turkic world and live in eternal peace, armenians would be like a flock of sheep in oktars Turkic farm. Guiragossian is a proditor and the authorities ought to bar his presence in Armenia as a national security measure. Armenia needs to weed out this insidious element from her organism. There are thousand like guiragossian, they ought to be rooted out. These intellectual schyzos suffer from an identity crisis, and are the end product of indoctrinated erudite apes rolling out of the assembly plants of the globalized, multicultural ,mind shaping international academia and institutions of higher learning.
DeleteԵրբ ես այդ այսպես կոչված «Ռեյդային ստուգումներ» տեսանյութը դիտեցի և հատկապես երբ տեսա բարձունքում կանգնած մեր Արցախցի հատուկ նշանակության զինվորներին, սիրտս հովացավ և վախս անցավ։ Հասկացա որ Ազատ Արցախ Աշխարհը քնած չէ և իր արթնությունը ոչ ոք չի կարող թմբրեցնել տարբեր տեսակի օտար արտադրության «մարդու իրավունքներ» թմրադեղով։ Որովհետև նրանք և նաև մենք հստակ տեսնում ենք թե այդ այսպես կոչված «մարդու իրավունքներ» կարգախոսը ինչ արժեք ունի, երբ 142 հազար Արցախցու ինքնորոշման իրավունքներն են ոտնահարվում։
ReplyDeleteԱյնպես որ բոլոր նրանք ովքեր ամեն քայլափոխի ճամարտակում են «մարդու իրավունքների» մասին, թող լավ սերտեն այս փաստը։ Հետևաբար Ազատ Արցախը, որը ոչ մի միջազգային պայմանագրերով շղթայված չէ, կարող է ըստ արժանավույն սանձազերձել բոլոր տեսակի պրովակատորներին և դիվերսանտներին։
Կեցցե՛ն Արցախյան Ծռեր
Կեցցե՛ Հայաստան
Robert Nazaryan
Արցախցի ազատամարտիկները դեմ են պրովակատոր Ժիրայր Սեֆիլյանի արկածախնդրությանը։ Ազատ Արցախ Աշխարհում նման պրովակացիաները չեն անցնի։
ReplyDeleteԿեցցե՛ն Արցախյան Ծռերը: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_gw67wPJyY
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Հունվարի 31-ին նախատեսված էր Հայաստանի հիմնադիր խորհրդարանի ավտոերթը դեպի Արցախ, որի ընթացքում նախատեսվում էր նաև քարոզչական աշխատանք: Դեպի արցախ ավտոերթը անընդունելի և անթույլատրելի են համարել արցախյան ազատամարտի վետերանները, իրենց միավորող կառույցի կողմից տարածելով հայտարարություն` հավաստիացնելով, որ չեն թուլատրելու դրա իրականացումը, քանի որ ժողովրդի անունից խոսող, սակայն նույն ժողովրդի իրական ցանկություններին և մտահոգություններին անտեղյակ մի խումբ անձանց այդօրինակ վարվելակերպը ոչ միայն անիմաստ, այլև ազգային միասնությանն ու նրա անվտանգությանը սպառնացող հանցավոր ծրագիր է: Հայտարարությամբ են հանդես եկել նաև Արցախի երիտասարդական կառույցներները` ընդգծելով, որ օրենքով թույլատրելի բոլոր հնարավոր միջոցները օգտագործելով՝ տարաբնույթ միջոցառումների միջոցով կանխելու են հասարակությանը ապակայունացնող ցանկացած ուժի մուտքը Արցախ: Երեկ էլ հայտարաություն է տարածել ՀՅԴ Արցախի ԿԿ:
31 января Учредительным парламентом Армении был запланирован автопробег в Арцах с разворачиванием пропагандистской деятельности. Ветераны освободительной войны сочли данный автопробег в Арцах неприемлемым и недопустимым и от имени Союза воинов-освободителей Арцаха приняли соответствующее заявление, в котором особо отметили, что не допустят проведения автопробега,так как подобная манера поведения группы людей, выступающей от имени народа, но в тоже время не осведомленной о реальных желаниях и нуждах его, не только бессмысленная, но и угрожающая национальной безопасности преступная программа. С заявлением выступили также молодежные структуры Арцаха, подчеркнув, что всеми дозволенными законом способами будут препятствовать въезду в Арцах любой разъединяющей общество силы. Вчера соответствующее заявление распространил также ЦК АРФД Арцаха.
Robert Nazaryan
1. Իգոր Մուրադյանը թող Ալիևից մեդալ ստանա, Գաբոն քահանայի դերն է կատարում. Դավիթ Բաբայանը՝ Բերձորի դեպքերի մասին
ReplyDeletehttp://armarlur.com/?p=65106 (Փետրվար 5, 2015թ. 00:24)
2. Ղարաբաղցուն հարցրել էի՞ն, որ 40 ավտոմեքենաներով գնում էին հակառուսական ցույց անելու (Փետրվար 3, 2015թ. 22:03)
http://armarlur.com/?p=65088
3. Ձեռքներդ հեռու Արցախից ու Ապրիլի 24-ից (Փետրվար 4, 2015թ. 23:08)
http://armarlur.com/?p=65100
4. Չկա ավելի մեծ չարիք, քան կեղծ հերոսությունը. Ռուզաննա Մուրադյան (Փետրվար 3, 2015թ. 17:55)
http://armarlur.com/?p=65086
5. Նախախորհրդարանը ֆինանսավորվում է Արևմուտքից (Փետրվար 3, 2015թ. 22:16)
http://armarlur.com/?p=65090
6. Դա անցած տարի դեկտեմբերին սկիզբ առած սադրանքի շարունակությունն էր. Արցախի փոխվարչապետ (04 Փետրվարի 2015 01:00)
http://karabakh-life.am/hasarakutyun/item/278-2015-02-03-20-10-32.html
7. Ինչպե՞ս ուրախացնել Ալիևին` Արևմուտքին գոհացնելով (02.02.2015 21:17)
http://www.orer.am/archives/75830
8. Հայաստանի հիմնադիր խորհրդարանի ավտոերթը դեպի Արցախ (Feb 2, 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_gw67wPJyY
Robert Nazaryan
Շնորհակալութիւն, մանավանդ հոտվածների համար
DeleteՄշուշոտ կարգախոս: http://www.aravot.am/2015/02/07/539895/
DeleteThe Preparliament is coming to their nest, LA, once again for a "public debate". They plan to spread anti-Artsakh this time. If anyone can be present and counter them it would be great.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/events/441300996027092/?ref=22
If you have connections there, please inform them that the traveling circus is coming to their town. These clowns have to be stopped at every turn.
DeletePS: The FP traveling circus is doing its best to try to hijack a number of sociopolitical elements - Armenian Genocide, Armenian nationalism and Artsakh's status - in hopes of making a name for themselves. Let's hope it all backfires on them. I noticed at on their Youtube page they placed a banner exulting "Artsakh is Armenia". Although at first glance the slogan sounds very palatable, in reality however it is ultimately an anti-Russia measure because the EEU does not officially recognize Artsakh as being part of Armenia. So, they will try to turn Artsakh's unresolved status into a weapon by trying to convince Artsakhtsis that Russia is against them. This tactic is similar to how they were demanding that Permyakov be released to Armenian authorities knowing very well that Russia was not going to do that. Russia's refusal to turnover the murder suspect was being used by them as "evidence" of Russia's anti-Armenian policies. These people are shameless smut-peddlers, they are very low grade people. Some of them remind me of Bolshevik activists of yesteryear; some of them remind me of Soros funded revolutionaries; some of them remind me of ambulance chasing Jewish lawyers...
We need a paradigm shift. We ought to dispense with the breathtaking lock step of " attract foreign investment". Genuine investment is a platform of acquiring ownership of your national industries and assets. One hears wild calls for chineese investment, Indian investments and others. What do we want these people to invest in ?. I have had first hand experience of Chinese and Indian investments in Africa for the last 15 years. They do not invest to develop the countries, their investment is based on trading . They are like trading caravans of yesteryear. The Chinese investments in Argentina are particularly eye riveting. Only one party benefits, the Chinese which acquire assets and then bring their own labour batallions to run and administer them. Be careful, don't gobble up this foreign investment fantasy. Armenia needs to procure the fundings, on her own, and do the investing herself. What happened with the French investment on our cognac industry. We lose the name cognac to brandy and the plat changes ownership. If anyone wants to invest in armenia must do so from a development of crafts, industries, angle and not from an acquire and own ( colonial style) assets and national patrimony. Closer to home we have the example of Greece. They have sold 40% of national assets to foreign so called investors ( raiders and exploiters) and what benefit have they drawn,,,,, zero dividends and economic dissolution. They sold the national port of Piraeus to the Chinese. The Greek shipping industry and ports authorities are lingering on as before, and the unemployment in the maritime sector has rocketed. No to foreign trading.
ReplyDeleteWhen I talk about establishing closer links to Iran, India and China, I'm primarily talking about bilateral trade, not investment, not selling national infrastructure especially to foreign powers that do not have a strategic stake in your existence. I agree with you that it is fundamentally important for Armenia to either establish a truly independent currency (free of IMF and the Western banking system) or become part of Russia's financial system. Unfortunately, due to Armenia's landlocked position in a very volatile south Caucasus, Armenia will not be able to go it alone. You may agree or disagree, but to Armenia Russia is the only alternative to independence.
DeleteI consider Russia as an inalienable ally of Armenia. It is unthinkable an Armenia without a Russian link. Russia is the only power I would not consider as a "foreign raider". There are too many common and mutual interests that makes Armenia intertwine with Russia. Having said that our independence is the only guarantee of our continued existence and our next national goal should be to strive to establish a common border with Russia.
DeleteFound this article from 2009:
ReplyDeletehttp://newsland.com/news/detail/id/390375/
IN Russian it says that Obama is aiming to start WW3 from Crimea. Very interesting facts brought up there that would be absolutely eye-opening today.
The article starts with saying that Obama's strategists are those who plan "controlled chaos" in the world. So remember this article is also before Lybia.
The commentators are dismissive of the author and asking what he is smoking. But Putin actually prevented a real blood-bath in Crimea with his operation, it was meant to start an inter-ethnic bloodbath and also get the UAF and the Russian naval infantry directly sucked into that bloodbath.
There are people with heightened senses that feel/see things that the common people don't. My respect to the author of this prophetic article.
DeleteЮрий Селиванов. Как они нас убивают: истоки и перспективы кризиса на Украине и против России: http://regnum.ru/news/polit/1893013.html
Delete"Gay.T.M." machines by a New Zealand bank as a show of corporate support for sexual perversions.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailyslave.com/new-zealand-anz-bank-unveils-gaytms/
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Remaining Ukrainian economy is dying a painful death:
http://www.dailyslave.com/ukraines-currency-crashes-50-in-value-thanks-to-jews/
Very important news
ReplyDeleteRussia is reportedly getting military bases in an EU state: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-getting-military-bases-eu-193847584.html
Ukraine’s currency just collapsed 50 percent in two days
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/06/ukraines-currency-has-fallen-50-percent-in-two-days/
Regarding the proposed Russian base in Cyprus: The same idea was floated two/three years ago when Russia's position in Tartus, Syria seemed threatened due to rebel advances at the time. I am not holding my breath. I don't know how serious, or independent, Cypriot officials are. The same applies to Greeks. Cyprus hosts a British base and Nicosia is subservient to the Anglo-American-Jewish world order. As typical of Greeks, the only thing Cypriots are truly concerned about is their carefree standard of living. They will sell their souls to the devil to maintain their lifestyles. So, just like when they backed down from stationing S-300 anti-aircraft missiles on their island (even after they had paid for the system), they will most probably back down from this one as well when the West pressures them.
DeleteRussians or Armenians would be foolish to place any hopes on Greeks or Cypriots. There are a lot of good people in Greece and Cyprus, but, politically speaking, they cannot be trusted. Greeks make Armenian look like highly disciplined warriors.
With that said, I would like to see Greece and Cyprus enter Russia's orbit someday. But this will happen only through a Russian initiative. For it to happen, Moscow needs to systematically work on making it happen. The common thread is Christian Orthodoxy and a shared history. This shared religious/historical/cultural legacy needs to be the basis of a future Russian-Greek-Cypriot alliance. After all, Russia is the direct heir to the Byzantine Empire. Greeks need to swallow their pride (Greeks make Armenians look humble) and accept Russia leadership in this matter.
When the Soviet Union was collapsing in the late 1980s, there was fear amongst senior policymakers in Washington that a union of Orthodox states - a Neo-Byzantium - would be born from the ashes of the Soviet Union. So when wars began in the Balkans and the Caucasus in the early 1990s, I knew what side the West was going to take: Any side that was against Christian Orthodox peoples: The West supported Catholics and Muslims against Serbians in Yugoslavia; the West supported Muslims against Russians in Chechnya; the West supported Turks/Muslims against Armenians in Artsakh. Needless to say, the West has been favoring Turkey over Greece and Cyprus for decades. We are seeing a similar situation in Ukraine today when Western powers are joining forces with Nazis and Jews in Kiev to work against Russian-Orthodox interests in the beleaguered country.
With some foresight and a lot of persistence from Moscow, there is the possibility of forming a union of Russian-led Orthodox nations. There is a common, cultural/historical thread linking nations such as Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Bulgaria, south-eastern Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Armenia. I wrote about this topic back in 2007 -
Union of Orthodox Nations: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2009/02/union-of-orthodox-nations-as-soviet.html
Oh yes, I do seem to recall you writing that portion too. The one thing that Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims have in common is that they hated Orthodoxy. Protestantism has sunk even lower with dispensationalism (Hagee and his rabidly pro-Israel position comes to mind), Catholicism is hopelessly compromised (Second Vatican Council corrupted the teachings of the original Catholic Church), Judaism (Khazaria's destruction at the hands of Kievan Rus', Tsarist pogroms against Jews and of course, Jewish Neo-Cons who are at the forefront of wanting to destroy Russia), and Islam (antipathy between Orthodox Christians and Muslims that goes back a long time).
DeleteThere are also claims that Catholicism and Islam share a connection too, but I'm not sure how accurate this is.
The hate and rivalry Protestants and Catholics feel towards Orthodox Christians is similar to the hate and rivalry Sunni Muslims feel towards Shiite Muslims. Jews hate the Christian Orthodox church essentially because they have not been able to penetrate it in the same way they have penetrated Protestantism and Catholicism. Orthodox Christians remain one of the most Jew-aware people on earth.
DeleteHistorically, Islam (both Sunni and Shiite sects) has had no serious problems with Christian Orthodoxy. In fact, Orthodox peoples and Muslims were able to coexist for centuries in Russia and the Middle East. [The Armenian Genocide was a Turkish/Jewish agenda, not an Islamic one] The problems you see with Sunni Islam today has its root in the Western/Saudi/Pakistani effort to harness the inherent extremist potentials of the religion and turn it into a political weapon against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The project to radicalize Islam and harness its political potentials was so successful against the Soviet Union back then that it is still being used today.
Anyway, I'm very impressed with your knowledge of history and politics. And I very happy to learn that you are attending a Russian Orthodox Church. Like I suggested earlier, if you are serious enough, take the next step and get baptized into the faith.
You're right, Arevordi. However, wasn't it true that there were some Kurds who participated in this awful crime?
DeleteGermany is Israel's and america's doormat in the EU. Americas military bases in Germany and othe vassals countries ensures the continued obsequiousness and utter subservience to the alien hegemon. The war ended, de facto, in 1945; nevertheless there was never a peace treaty signed. Technically speaking the war is on going. The Americans will pour bellicose materiel in the Ukraine and run their so called Cold War in a hot war but under a controlled chaos mode. Wreck the Ukraine and wreak havoc, and make their presence appear as indispensable to their proxy warring side. Then they will send in thei carpetbaggers to start the reconstruction process. They have done it in 1862, 1945, and will keep doing it ad infinitum. The EU must rise en masse and throw the Americo Israely supremacy out of the continent. 70 years of politico cultural enslavement needs to come to an end, genuine authority and governance must revert to the indigenous representatives, people's, of the continent. Russia can be a bridge and be a bulwark of strength and inspiration to the forces that seek the instauration of European independence. At this pathological phase in world history the western nations are nothing but malleable concotions in the political monopoly of Israel ( the international Juden) and American global interests. America needs to be pushed back on its own continent and prevented from incursions and encroachment in other areas, such as Europe.
ReplyDeleteԶանազանել Ռազմական Հաղթանակը Բարոյազուրկ Պարտությունից (Վարդանանց Պատերազմի առթիվ)
ReplyDeletehttp://haiknahapet.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-post.html
Is it a far analogy that today's USA is Rome, while Russia is Parthia.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to describe modern Russia today, it would have been a mix of Byzantine Greek, Varangians, and probably some significant Turco-Mongol-Tatar (it is worth noting that the lower regions of Siberia was a part of the Mongol Yuan Empire that controlled China and Russia itself was a part of the Golden Horde. Soviet Central Asia was also a part of the Chagatai Khanate, and only bits of the Caucasus was controlled by the Il-Khanate). Russia's connection between Europe and Asia is more on the lines of the Genghisid legacy of connection between the two continents, and the political west is doing its best to sever this connection. Look no further than this poetic line:
Delete"Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!" Rudyard Kipling.
Skhara,
DeleteTime (i.e. history) is circular, not linear. There is a spiritual or rather an esoteric aspect to history that can be felt but not explained. We have all been here before under different awarenesses and names. We have been through all this before under different circumstances and time periods. But the core essence, the supernatural essence, has always been the same. Only time, names and methods are different. In other words, I, Arevordi, may have been alive in a much earlier time period warning Armenians around me about getting too close to Rome. Someone like Raffi Hovanissyan may have at one time been pushing Roman interest inside Armenia. This unexplained spiritual or esoteric aspect of history and human awareness may explain why certain groups of people act in ways that cannot be rationally explained (are they just instinctually repeating what they have done in the past?). This esoteric aspect of history may also explain why during pivotal times in world history superhumans (e.g. Buddha, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Zoroaster, Darius the Great, Christ, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Hitler and Putin) suddenly appear as if out of nowhere to either destroy the old and start the new, place the course of history into a new direction or simply set things in order. Just like the observable cycles of nature, nations, which are part of nature, also recycle themselves. This is why history seems to repeat.
Russia is normally associated with Byzantium due to certain historic and cultural factors. But, many years ago I came to the realization that Russia seems to embody the very essence or spirit of ancient Persia. The living entity known as Russia feels much closer in essence to ancient Persia than to Byzantium.
If you recall, back in August 2013, I wrote the following in this blog -
"From an esoteric perspective, what is happening in Armenia today may in fact be a replaying of the geopolitical tug-of-war that existed between ancient Persia (modern Russia) and Rome (modern West) during the first few centuries of the Christian era. The pagan temple of Garni, Armenia, a Roman funded and styled building where Armenians prayed to Persian deities, is a vivid reminder of the "complimentary politics" executed by Armenian leaders at the time. Very similar to the political climate in Armenia today, Armenian leaders wearily walked a tightrope between Rome and Persia. Eventually, however, there came a time when Armenian nobles, having had enough of the constant back-and-forth and political instability, deposed their king and asked Persia to come in once again and take control of Armenia. I hope it does not come to that this time around, but if it does, then so be it... Russia is for Armenia today what Persia was back in antiquity. As it was also back then with ancient Rome, we must recognize that the West is in Armenia's geographic region only temporarily. In fact, the modern West has even less interests in the region in question than Rome did. The Caucasus region is not crucially vital for the West. Therefore, when being there proves costly, it will easily abandon the region. For Russia, however, the region in question is an extension of its borders. It would therefore be in Armenia's long term benefit to place all its limited efforts and collective emphasis in fostering better relations with friendly political entities that we know will remain in our region for the long term."
PS: That the US is the modern world's Rome is beyond any debate. More and more American are beginning to realize this. After all, the US was founded in the Roman spirit. The spirit of Rome has therefore come to posses the US. Russia, for its part, has four major spiritual influences within its national makeup: Vikings, Persians, Siberians and Byzantium. With that said, however, Russia as a political and cultural entity is closer in essence to ancient Persia than to anything else.
Thanks Arevordi for that ---- enjoyed reading that.
DeleteTo this I'd also like to add that much of southern Russia, from present day Ukraine to Kazakhstan, were for thousands of years inhabited by Iranic (Aryan) peoples. Many of the places names throughout the region are in fact Iranian by origin. The spirit of ancient Iran - the spirit of Parthian warriors - lives in modern Russia.
DeleteArevordi, I am not seeing the linkage between Ancient Persia and modern Russia. Persians are historical enemies of the Armenians; Russians have traditionally been viewed as liberators, including from Persian rule. Historically, Persian and Armenian political interests have never coincided, with Persia always intent on conquest and domination of the latter. Ultimately, Persia’s policy was to absorb and assimilate Armenians, and one tool was Zoroastrianism. Indeed, intermarriages were alarmingly high. How was Armenia wrong to turn to Rome? By your logic, one could argue Armenians were wrong to turn away from the Ottoman Empire and towards Russia. Please elaborate. Thanks!
DeleteAnonymous, I don't like getting into these kinds of esoteric conversations with too many people simply because if one's mind is not open to this kind of conversation, no amount of elaboration on my part will satisfy. In other words, if you don't see or feel the strong similarities between the political-cultural role played by Russia today and the political-cultural role played by ancient Persia, no amount of explanation by me will help you see it or feel it.
DeleteBut, I'll give it a shot.
I think you are looking at these historical matters somewhat superficially (i.e. at face value). I also suspect you have a bias against Persia/Iran and an affinity towards Rome. I don't blame you. Persia/Iran has been turned into a bad word. And just like the term "USA" will resonate for hundreds of years into the future, the name "Rome" continues to resonate today. You may also be approaching this topic, at least subconsciously, from a religious/Christian perspective.
I refuse to accept the notion that Persians were our enemies. Armenians and Persians lived side-by-side. It is natural to have periodic problems in such circumstances. The notion that Persians are our "enemies" was first put into Armenian minds by our clergy, for obvious reasons.
After the fall of the Araratian kingdom, Armenia gradually became part of the Persian Empire, which at the time was on its rise. For hundreds of years thereafter Armenia was politically and culturally part of the Persian orbit (the East of its time). Yes, assimilation was a problem, as evidenced by Armenian vocabulary which is around 80% Persian by origin. But assimilation of a people living in a massive empire is natural. It does not mean Persians were hostile towards Armenians. By all indicators, Armenians and Persians coexisted quite well. Things began to change around the time of Tigran the Great, when Armenia began adopting Greco-Roman cultural values (the West of its time). Starting in Tigran's time, Armenia began walking a fine line between the two competing civilizations. At times, Armenia oscillated; at times siding with Rome, at times siding with Persia. Then relations between Armenia and Persia began deteriorating sharply when Sassanids forcefully came to power in Persia by overthrowing the incumbent Persian dynasty that which Armenia's nobility was an offshoot of. But thorough it all, Armenia had more in common with Persia than with Rome. To this day, Armenia has more in common with the East than with the West.
How was Armenia wrong to turn to Rome?
I can see why Armenia would politically turn to Rome in the Sassanian period (similar to how I can see why Yerevan looked West in the 1990s). But in the first two centuries AD, when Christianity was not a factor and when Persia was still a very powerful empire, appeasing Rome officials was a foolish move by Armenians. By turning to Rome at the time, Armenians ultimately managed to put an end to the Armenian statehood by mid-5th century AD. As we know, Armenian nobles dethroned the Armenian king sometime around 425 AD and invited the Persian Shah to rule Armenia. I believe this was done essentially because Armenia had been turned into a bloody battlefield between Rome and Persia for many decades. It was also wrong for Armenia to turn to the Roman Empire because Rome was located far from Armenia. Roman interests were present in the western portions of the Armenian Highlands (Armenia Minor) purely for political reasons, whereas the other empire, Persia, was Armenia's next door neighbor and was a neighbor with which Armenia shared many deep affinities with.
In my opinion, the only positive thing that - inadvertently - came out of Armenia's flirtations with Rome was Christianity. Christianity saved Armenia, especially because Persia unexpectedly converted to Islam in 650 AD. Perhaps it was destiny that contact with the Roman world would open Armenia to Christianity by 301 AD.
Nevertheless, the authoritarian, warlike, powerful, aggressive, multi-ethnic, conservative, massive, sometimes unstable and somewhat "Eastern" nation known as Russia is to Armenia today almost exactly what Persia was to Armenia two thousand years ago and earlier. To me, modern Russia and ancient Persia represent very similar political-cultural values.
DeleteSimilar to how semi-Zoroastrian Armenians would periodically have political problems with Zoroastrian Persians, let's not forget that semi-Orthodox Armenians have also had problems with Orthodox Russians, and will continue doing so in the future. Let's also recall that the Soviet Union (think of them as a foreign dynasty that took over power in the empire) also tried to assimilate Armenians.
The onset of new Western values such as Globalism and Democracy spreading like wildfire around the world, makes one wonder: Is today's Armenia reliving the times of Armenia during Trdat's rule ? We are once again in the process of building Western funded Garni temples, within which we are still trying to worship Eastern deities...
Finally, I don't think I understood your point about Ottomans.
DeleteThere was no Armenian "state" during Ottoman times. Even had there been one, Armenia would still look "East". No? A Christian Armenia would have had to stay aligned to a Christian Russia. No? For an Armenian state, an Ottoman state would have represented a "Western" power. Although Russia is the successor of Byzantium from a 'religious/cultural' perspective, it can be argued that the Ottoman Empire was the successor of Eastern Rome (Byzantium) from a 'geopolitical' perspective. Similar to how the Russian Empire was founded on prior Viking, Mongol and Persian expansions, the Ottoman Empire was founded mostly on Byzantine territory. So, similar to how the Russian nation has similarities to Vikings, Mongols and Persians, Ottomans had similarities to the Byzantines. In fact, for much of Ottoman history, Ottoman Turkish treatment of Armenians was no worse than the terrible treatment Armenians suffered under Byzantine Greeks of the late Byzantine period.
We seem to have blocked out of our collective memory the anti-Armenian hostility of Byzantines. Perhaps it's because of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which made Turks our natural enemy. Yes, assimilated Armenians played a great role in Byzantium but Byzantine-Armenian relations were horrible, especially during the 11-13 centuries. I blame Byzantines for the destruction of the last Armenian kingdom in Armenia. I blame Byzantines for the first known wide-scale dispersion of the inhabitants of the Armenian Highlands to the far corners of the known world. What the Byzantines did to Armenia around the 11th century could be considered our first genocide. Greeks and Armenians have hated each other more than Greeks and Armenians have traditionally hated Turks. Trust me on this one. It was essentially this hate that allowed Turks to easily setup shop in the region.
Anyway, history is meant to be learned from. With that said, history is never black and white or one dimensional. To learn from history we need to approach it without any biases. I understand it is difficult to do so because many of our biases dwell deep in our subconscious.
PS: Are you Razmik Artashes?
Arevordi
DeleteDo you have a previous blog commentary about Byzantine Armenia relations? Or generally about Armenian history from 387 to 1500?
TK,
DeleteThe first mass deportations or relocations of Armenians to far way lands was organized by Byzantines. The last Armenian king in Armenia was murdered by Byzantines. Byzantines annexed the Armenian royal city of Ani in 1045 AD, then didn't fight for it when Seljuk Turks arrived at its gate in 1064 AD. Apostolic Armenians were treated as low class people by Greek Orthodox Byzantines. In a nutshell: There is a Turkey today because of how much Byzantine Greeks hated Armenians for not converting to Greek Orthodoxy. I have made comments about this topic in passing in this blog as well as in some other public forums in the past but I do not have any blogs or stand-alone articles devoted to this topic. I normally shy away from discussing Armenian-Byzantine relations in public simply because it always come across as me being anti-Greek. I do not want to go that route... unless a Greek comes by and pisses me of...
Had Greek Byzantines not been so zealous in their relentless effort to convert Armenians or had Armenians simply adopted Greek Orthodoxy, the history of the region would be very different today because a Byzantine-Armenian united front would have been a formidable force against any enemy.
I'm not sure. Bulgaria converted to Greek Eastern Orthodoxy and they still opposed the Byzantines, but this took a huge effort of playing both Rome and Constantinople against each other, with Boris of Bulgaria's attempts to establish an Autocephalous Bulgarian church. Not to mention that under Ottoman Turkish rule all of the Orthodox Christians within the Rumelia Eyalet were under the Patriarchate of Constantinople's control. Naturally I would have assumed that Armenians would share some similarities with Bulgarians in their antipathy towards both the Greeks and the Ottoman Turks (the Thracian Bulgarian Genocide occurred two years before the 1915 Armenian Genocide). It is also worth noting that Andranik Ozanian formed an Armenian Legion during the First Balkan War and fought alongside Bulgaria. Another thing worth mentioning is Ashot II's daughter married count Nikola of Bulgaria and from this union, Tsar Samuil was born. So there might be some more Armenian connections to Bulgaria than we normally know.
DeleteEven within the Orthodox world, there are some hostilities among themselves. Most notably the Georgian-Armenian antipathy, the aforementioned Greek-Bulgarian rivalry, the Romanian-pretty much Slavic states' rivalry, but also Serbo-Bulgarian rivalry as well. Most recent one of them though, is the Russo-Ukrainian hostility.
About the Greek-Armenian antipathy, there were some incidents regarding Greek and Armenian priests who clashed over the birthplace of Christ in Jerusalem.
You refuse to accept the notion that Persians were our historical enemies? Let’s review facts from history:
DeleteArmenian statehood was ended when Urartu fell to the Medes, an ancient Iranian people.
The Persian conquest of the Medes, led by Cyrus the Great, displaced the Medes. Persia ruled over Armenia from the 6th century until the 4th century B.C. The Armenians paid heavy tribute to the Persians, as they did under the Turks.
King Trdat III proclaimed Christianity as the religion of Armenia in 301 A.D. Thus, Armenia formally became the first Christian nation. NOTE: This was 12 years before the Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine which declared tolerance of Christians in the Roman Empire. Prior to that, the persecution of Christians was official policy in the Roman Empire.
In response, the Persians launched a campaign to stamp out Christianity.
Armenians and Persians lived side-by-side? So, with the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great of Macedonia , Armenian culture absorbed Greek architecture, religion and philosophies as well. Over twenty Byzantine emperors were Armenians. I am aware that Persians appointed Persian governors to govern Armenian provinces, but can you name any rulers of the Persian Empire of Armenian descent?
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Armenia was divided between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran. The Persian leader Shah Abbas I forcibly moved populations of entire Armenian regions to his country.
Persians ruled Eastern Armenia until 1828, when it was annexed by Russia. The Russians were greeted as liberators.
You see, throughout history Persian policy has always been directed against Armenian statehood. This is the fact of the matter, there is no question about it. In fact, even today, Russia remains the restraining factor preventing both Iran and Turkey from making moves against Armenian statehood. The linkage of Ancient Persia to modern-day Russia is silly at best.
«Anonymous»-ը ես չեմ Արևորդի,
DeleteԻմ բլոգում Վարդանանց պատերազմի մասին գրելուց ես մի փոքր նշել եմ էն ժամանակվա աշխարհաքաղաքական իրավիճակը, կապված Հռոմի ու Պարսկաստանի հետ: Բայց չեմ խոսացել թե ո՞ր կողմն էր մեզ հայերիս ձեռնտու, որովհետեվ դա չի իմ նպատակը:
Իմ նպատակն այն էր որ մենք չափից ավել գնահատանք ենք տալիս մեզ պարտության մղած Վարդան Մամիկոնյանին, ու միշտ անտեսում ենք մեզ իսկական Հաղթանակ բերած Վահան Մամիկոնյանին:
Այստեղ թեման ուրիշ է: Մեզ պետք չեն «բարոյական հաղթանակ» բերող զորավարներ որպես օրինակ մեր սերունդներին:
Եթե ուշադիր կարդաք գռարումս, ավել կհասկանաք:
http://haiknahapet.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-post.html
Ռազմիկ Արտաշես
Anonymous,
DeleteI am not going to get into splitting hairs with you. As I suspected you do have a anti-Iranian bias. As I suspected, your take on history is very one dimensional. If you want to go ahead and believe that ancient Persian was the mortal enemy of Armenians go right ahead. You have the right to believe whatever you want. In my opinion, Armenians and Persians at the time were very similar genetically and culturally. We were part of the same Aryan civilization. We originated in the same general vicinity. As I alluded to earlier, whatever problems we Armenians had with ancient Persians, it was purely 'political' in nature. We had similar if not worst problems with Byzantine Greeks. We have had problems with Georgians. We have had and will have problems with Russians. Having problems with neighbors that happen to be larger and more powerful than you is natural; it's part of life. With that said, within the human ecology, Persians, Greeks, Georgians and Russians are not the natural enemies of Armenians - the way Assyrians and Turkic tribes have been. If Armenians had a natural enemy in the ancient world, it was Assyria. Needless to say, our natural enemy today are Turks. Armenians differed from the aforementioned in every way imaginable. We were from very different civilizations. And the hostility and the atrocities Armenians have suffered at the hands of Assyrians and Turks cannot be compared. Finally, Persian society (like Russian society) was more conservative and dynastic, whereas Byzantine/Roman society (like Western society) was more open and liberal. However, it could be argued whether Armenians who had converted to Greek Orthodoxy to hold office in Constantinople should be considered "Armenians". I take no pride in knowing that some of Armenia's worst enemies were Byzantine Armenians. Do you take pride in knowing that Tigran the Great was Persian? Do you take pride in knowing that Gregory the Eliminator was Persian? Anyway, let's end this conversation here because it's not going anywhere, and it is off topic.
PS: It's silly that you think Russians are ok with Armenian statehood. Like I said, you have a very narrow perspective regarding history.
"In a nutshell: There is a Turkey today because of how much Byzantine Greeks hated Armenians for not converting to Greek Orthodoxy."
DeleteI watched that interesting documentary that Sarkis posted about the Byzantine empire. So 2 points to this. One seems to be that Byzantium was shaken by outside forces "west" (same clan at that time they sat in Venice who for the last several hundred years have been embedded into the British empire - what we call the anglo-american sphere) -- and nurtured the rise of Greek Hellenic chauvinism. But in a multicultural and multilingual states/empires stirring ethnic/cultural chauvinism is a sure way to weaken the entity - thus what happened. From what I saw from the documentary, the Greeks did not only alienate Armenians, but also the Slavs to the north of them.
On the other hand, perhaps the obsession with strict Greek Orthodoxy had to do with Greek Orthodoxy being the ideology chosen to hold peoples of the Byzantine empire together under one idea? SInce there always has to be some sort of national/ideological ideas to be one functioning entity.
In my haste I forgot to mention a very important historical factor: Slaves are closely related to Aryan/Iranic peoples such as Scythians and Cimmerians. These warlike Iranic/Aryan tribes inhabited territories from Ukraine to Kazakhstan. These tribes later evolved into several major European civilizations. Genetically, modern Russians are primarily a mix of Vikings, Aryan/Iranic tribes (Slaves) and Siberian Asians.
DeleteThe authoritarian, warlike, powerful, aggressive, multi-ethnic, conservative, massive, Aryan/Asian, sometimes unstable and somewhat "Eastern" nation-state known as Russia is to Armenia today almost exactly what Persia was to Armenia some two thousand years ago and earlier. Similar to how Persia and Rome shared a common yet uneasy border in the classical period, Russia and the West share a common and uneasy border today. Similar to how Persia was the only a political/cultural barrier against Rome in the classical period, Russia today is the only barrier to the Western world. Modern Russia and ancient Persia represent very similar political-cultural values.
Skhara, I have read a lot of books on this topic (from Armenian and Anglo-American sources). Byzantine Greeks were responsible for the first Armenian Genocide in 11th century and for the Turkish conquest of Anatolia/Asia Minor. I am no fan of the political West, but from an Armenian point of view, Byzantine Greeks were much-much more treacherous and destructive. Relations between Armenians and Byzantine Greeks had gotten so bad that Armenians were actually siding with foreigners such as Seljuks, Mongols and Crusaders over their Byzantine neighbors. To this day, many Greeks look down at Armenians. It may be genetic memory, as evidenced by annual fights you see between Greek and Armenian clergy in Jerusalem...
DeleteIf any of you are in the mood to read a very good book on Byzantium, I would strongly recommend this -
DeleteFirst Crusader: Byzantium's Holy Wars: http://www.amazon.com/First-Crusader-Byzantiums-Holy-Wars/dp/1403961514
Ռազմիկ Արտաշես,
DeleteԿասկածեցի որ դու ես բլոգիդ վերջին թեմաից և քո պրոֆիլի նկարից (Հռոմեական մետաղադրամ չ՞ե:): Համենայն դեպս, քեզ բացատրելու կարիքը չունես: Ակնհայտ է որ լաւ ես հասկանում պատմության նրբերանգները...
Դա Արտաշեսյան Թագավորության զինանշանն է
Deletehttp://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8A%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%AF%D5%A5%D6%80:Artaxiad_coat_of_arms.jpg
Դրամը ծանոթ եր բայց կարծեցի Հռոմեական եր: Նոր բան սովորեցի այսոր... շնորհակալութիւն: Բայց հարց ունեմ: հայկակա՞ն է կամ պարսկակա՞ն է:
DeleteWhen I write in response to posted comments here, I usually do so at nights and I do not thoroughly review what I write. I therefore apologize for the many typos such as calling Gregory the Illuminator - "Gregory the Eliminator" LOL
DeleteAlthough I know many Armenians would actually prefer this particular characterization of him...
Ինչքան գիտեմ զինանշանը օգտագործվել է Արտաշեսյան Հայաստանի կողմից: Բայց այն ժամանակվա խիստ սերտ Հայ-Պարթևական հարաբերությունները փաստ են որ մենք ու պարսիկները համարվում էինք նույն ցեղից:
Delete@In a nutshell: There is a Turkey today because of how much Byzantine Greeks hated Armenians for not converting to Greek Orthodoxy... Had Greek Byzantines not been so zealous in their relentless effort to convert Armenians or had Armenians simply adopted Greek Orthodoxy
DeleteArevordi, aren't you too hasty in whitening the Armenians in their relations with the Orthodox? There were not the Orthodox (Byzantine or not) who left the Universal Church. It is a sad fact of history that all the churches who opposed Calcedon's definitions, fell to the Muslims (sometimes receiving them with open arms, out of spite for the "Greeks")
Romanian Anonymous,
DeleteIn a nutshell: The dogmatic fanaticism of the two native populations of Armenian Highlands/Anatolia/Asia Minor is the reason why there is a nation called Turkey today. Armenians are emotional, arrogant and stubborn. Greeks are even more emotional, arrogant and stubborn. Not good traits for good neighborly relations. Had Greeks and Armenians put aside their petty differences, they would have been a formidable front against any enemy and Armenian royal city of Ani would not have fallen in 1064 AD and Constantinople would not have fallen in 1453 AD. Because of its size, wealth and power at the time, as well as aggressive and treacherous arrogance, I put the blame primarily on Byzantines.
Part of the reason why Armenians did not participate in the council of Chalcedon was because Constantinople had essentially abandoned Armenia to its fate against a Persian onslaught to crush Christianity in Armenia during 450-451.
My dear friend,
DeleteWe are certainly here on a very slippery slope. But what is History if not the attempt to apportion blame for some real or imagined wrongdoings?
This is the reason why Herodotus wrote his Inquiry:
"This is the Showing forth of the Inquiry of Herodotus of
Halicarnassos, to the end that neither the deeds of men may be forgotten by lapse of time, nor the works great and marvellous, which have been produced some by Hellenes and some by Barbarians, may lose their renown; AND ESPECIALLY THAT THE CAUSES MAY BE REMEMBERED FOR WHICH THESE WAGED WAR WITH ONE ANOTHER" [i.e. why Persians ("East" - Asia) and Greeks ("West" - Romans, Europe) fought one another for centuries on]. Should we go back to Noah?
One thing I may take exception to is your take on the reason for the rejection of the Council of Chalcedon. The rejection occurred at the earliest in 488 (some put it in 554!). It has nothing to do with any attempt to "convert" the Armenians to a "Greek Orthodoxy" (somehow different from Orthodoxy - we cannot overlook the fact that the Scriptures were written in Greek and subsequently translated in other languages).
My dear friend Romanian Anonymous,
DeleteI did not give you any reasons about why Christian Armenians "rejected" the Council of Chalcedon. I only stated that Christian Armenians at the time could not participate in the gathering at Chalcedon because they were in a war against Persia, a war that the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) did not want to help us win. With that said, however, the "Universal Church" (which had become the Imperial Church in Rome by the 5th century AD) was indeed doing its best to bring all christians in the region under its fold. Armenians, similarly for dogmatic reasons, resisted the pressure from Constantinople. Anyway, this discussion is EXACTLY the problem I'm talking about. FIFTEEN HUNDRED years after the events in question, we are still arguing about man made dogmas. Can the Greek Orthodox church swallow its pride and accept us Armenians for who we are? Can the Greek Orthodox Church stop looking down at us Armenians for leaving their "Universal Church"? Having seen the destruction their dogmatic policies have brought upon all of Anatolia, can they finally recognize the Armenian Church as being legitimate? Not that we Armenians really care what the Greek Church thinks but this nonsense is the reason why we have Muslim Turks now living between Greeks and Armenians. Arguments over Christ's nature got us here. Is Christ happy now? As an Armenian, I think I know my history well enough. I am not point fingers when I say that a Turkey exists today because of Byzantine policies. Let's please end this conversation.
My friend,
DeleteWe have agreed to disagree some time ago (and about the same topic). Therefore I would continue to assert that Christianity is not a secular socio - cultural construct subject to ethnic, cultural, political whims or ambitions (or "necessities" if you prefer), whatever "esoterism" you may see behind it.
Just a historical hint. In 451AD the Roman Empire was still engaged in heavy fights with the Huns.
Remember that a large part of the Russian Church still consider Armenians to be mono/miaphysitic heretics.
«Կոռուպցիայի կնքահայրը Սերժ Սարգսյանն է»
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1W3w5-51Xs
Western agent Axel Sakunts working hard for regime change. Look at the faces of the government officials, including Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan, as they listen to the foreign-funded representative of the traitorous "opposition" invent and air dirty laundry for Armenia.
I'll repeat again, the gloves are off in the geostrategic battle for Armenia now that Armenia is a Eurasian Union member. The west will not stop trying to turn the ignorant masses against the government, state, and even the Army. These animals have no place sitting at the negotiating table with the government, not when their goal is regime change instead of actual progress/evolution inside Armenia. The way to deal with these subversives is exactly the way they were dealt with a week ago on the border with Berdzor.
It would not have to be like this if Armenia produced a loyal, domestic-based opposition, unfortunately we do not have that luxury at this time.
By the way, the Debaltsevo Cauldron has closed:
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9blYwNCQAA_6gs.jpg
The People's militia of DPR has take the village of Logvinovo:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9blYwNCQAA_6gs.jpg:
The Ukies launched a desperate counterattack noting the catastrophe that is unfolding for their forces but were not able to de-blockade.
Incidentally, some Ukrainian volunteers were whining that there were sure that Russian spetznaz are engaged in recon-diversionary missions describing how a group was spotted and the Ukies opened with artillery fire against that group -- but the group very skillfully dispersed but didn't lose their cohesion and coordination and quickly regathered in a different place. The blogger complained: "These are definitely not local 'alcoholics' " -- also demonstrating how they view Donbass people.
By the way, to me the presence of Russian special forces in the Donbass is a moot point. Special forces perform special missions and their presence, numbers, and missions cannot be proved. The quantity and quality of regular forces still are need to take a hold territory and to eliminate the enemies regular forces. The other side are suspected to use special forces that are not Ukraine citizens too from Poland, Baltics, and various private military contractors.
ReplyDeleteBY the way, found the Russian "spetznaz" that the Ukrainian blogger from the other side was describing:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvT7dgeCAKI
They are spetznaz though. Trained as a recon-storm units. Described how they conducted the operation, woken up very early in the morning, how they came under fire but always moved and coordinated according to their training. He says any time they are not conducting war operations, they are training on training grounds.
Forgot to mention that they are not official Russian spetznaz, they were formed in Donetsk. The Asian looking fellow is from Buryatia - Russia.
ReplyDeleteSome good news Putin is in Cairo Egypt to join Russia-led Eurasian free trade zone
ReplyDeletehttp://rt.com/business/230987-egypt-russia-free-trade/
http://rt.com/news/230859-putin-egypt-visit-sisi/
The USSR was involved with the Arabs and Egypt in particular in the 50 and 60s. Nasserism came to a collapsing end. Egypt is a strange place. They are more of a burden than an asset as a nation. They have survived all these years thanks to the camp David accords. Egypt can not be assaulted nor can they attack anyone. In the 73 war Saddam wanted to get his sand desert back, so he launched a war and we know the outcome. Have your sand banks back and keep quiescent for ever after. The Ukranian civil conflict keeps getting more vicious. The novorussians need to get all the weapons they need and drive west until the gates of Kiev. If they don't do it know, the judenites will pump arms and more arms to expand and deepen the war. In this war the Europeans are the losers, the Russians are the losers, and there is only one winner , the perennial and eternal Juden and their mascot the USA and their European vassals. The simmering cauldron suit the geostrategic schemes of the Judenusa axis. Constant tension, constant violence and bloodshed, brother killing brother, open ended conflicts. Russia and the Eurpeans need to get together and oust the judenusa from the continent.
DeleteFall of an Empire - The Lesson of Byzantium
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaQ3ijICaM8
I just watched the above documentary that comrade Jerriko had posted before the comments were accidentally deleted. That was very enlightening. The western group and the Islamo-Turkic group have always been the enemy of the Orthodox Christian group. It seems so simple because it is a natural byproduct of culture and geography. The documentary was excellent, and only an idiot could miss the vital lessons that it was meant to convey to today's heirs of Byzantium: namely the Russians, Armenians, Serbians. And our own fascination with the west make us our own enemy.
Thanks for the link Jerriko. And welcome to the Orthodox Christian family. Even the most dedicated secularists and atheists have to realize that religion is an inseparable part of a national identity. I firmly believe that Orthodox Christianity is a huge part of the reason why the nations covered by this blog have maintained some integrity, tradition and self-respect, unlike the sad fate of the Catholics and Protestants.
Nice touch with classical music playing as the rebels pound the ukis. The difference is the Rebels are pounding military targets, and the Nazi's are shelling towns and peoples homes. Also note the level of equipment has picked up a notch or two.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBcoT1JN3Tw
Vahram
Thanks, Sarkis.
ReplyDeleteI watched this a couple of times and it hit on a couple of things about the Western world in general. Especially the part where they used to be barbaric before becoming civilized through the theft of the wealth from Byzantium.
BTW, here's a video clip of Ukrainian education at its finest post-Maidan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuDmtzjd9a0
Falsification of Ukrainian history at its finest. Ukrainian historians claiming that the Ukrainian nation was the oldest in the world reeks of the similar scenario in Macedonia where Macedonists claimed that Alexander the Great was not Greek, but Macedonian. I do believe with my justification that Ukrainian antipathy towards Russia is an exact replica (though writ large in this case) of Macedonian antipathy towards Bulgaria. Can anyone imagine if Artsakh pulls off this kind of stunt against Armenia? Or it should be the other way around though, in this case especially since Arevordi often mentions the phrase "anti-Karabagh clan". Or another comparison with the video above would be Azerbaijan's claiming of histories that belonged to other nations.
That's not "post-Maidan". That went in force as soon as Ukraine gots its "independence".
DeleteThis is exactly what "Ukrainism" is. Ukraine isn't a nation, its not an ethnicity, and its not a culture. It is an ideology. The ideology is to kill the Russian in the subconcious of a Russian person and then send these mutated Russians to kill Russians who haven't killed the Russian in their subconciousness.
Strelkov commented about Ukraine military, how a large number of them speak Russian, think Russian, behave Russian -- but are fighting for their children not to speak Russian - Strelkov called in "absurd".
This actually what fascism really is, and there is nothing good about it.
The Ukrs have learned well from their Jewish masters about the art of dehumanizing their enemies. Ukraine itself is a bad joke, a source of prostitutes and insanity of every kind. These pathetic cretins calling themselves a "great nation" are headed towards an inevitable reality check. Ukraine, Israel, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the other clowns are true spiritual brothers: their nations are built on lies, land theft, massacres of civilians, worshiping mass murderers as heroes, and a very strong tendency to never accept responsibility for failures and instead blame it on others.
DeleteI think the Russians are being too nice to Ukraine. Russia should treat Ukraine exactly how it treated Turks and Germans after their leadership was foolish enough to declare war on Russia, by destroying their nations without a shred of mercy. All would-be "master races" have shut their mouths and bend over shaking with fear after the Russian Army kicked their sorry asses. Kiev needs to be taught the same lesson so that instead of worshiping bandera they will be wishing for the relatively merciful days of Stalin.
Lol - I like that English translation "Ukrs". It sounds even funnier in Russian: Ooookry.
DeleteSarkis, Russia can't really treat Ukraine that way because that is not the prevelant attitude of the majority of people, so Russia is forced to tread a very uncomfortable line to ensure the population of Ukraine doesn't end up in starvation, but do damage to the regime at the same time.
Anyway, all those entities are actually built of fascism I understand that now. Those kinds of entities are elites-oligarchical rule that form an "identity" based on extreme chauvinism while having a crowd of deranged "little people" who swallow everything they say, and support them in all their decisions.
Russian policy is a bit at fault itself by pumping billions of dollars into Ukraine where regimes have been weak and unstable and there was always been a heavy influence of banderites. Instead of putting those billions into Ukraine economy, Russia should have been focused on emotional aspects and pro-Russian propaganda as well as nurturing a militant pro-Russian force to imediatelly counter the likes of "right-sector". If Russia had done that, than at the very least Odessa and Kharkov would not be under the oligarchial-banderite regime today.
Skhara, you hit it right on.
DeleteThis quote is from a video clip about Bulgarians in Macedonia, but if you switch Macedonia with Ukraine and Bulgaria with Russia, the picture is all too clear:
"A Macedonian by nationality is an enslaved Bulgarian." (Make the switch and it's "A Ukrainian by nationality is a mutated Russian")
skhara,
DeleteI would say Moscow is way more than a little responsible for what happened in Kiev. The Ukraine was obviously Russia's weak point, and they did very little to prevent the current mess. One imagines that Russian elites fear Russian patriotism, so they didn't want it in the Ukraine. Still, this appears to be a classic of geostrategic mismanagement by Russia. It is not reassuring that Russian media spend so little time analyzing what went wrong. They talk about what the West did, but not what Russia did (or didn't).
Eurasian
Ahh.. the wonderful life in Europe
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/serbia-tries-stop-massive-exodus-eu-113643413.html
The irony of this is that more Kosovar Albanians are in fact helping Serbia in the long run of reclaiming Kosovo by bleeding itself of its Albanian population....and in turn Serbs who were displaced in Kosovo could get their homes back.
Deletehttp://asbarez.com/131696/u-s-hails-%E2%80%98progress%E2%80%99-in-armenian-democracy/
ReplyDeleteYup, what a great achievement. Armenia is now open and democratic by any reasonable measure of those concepts. And what do we have to show for it? Foreign-funded traitors like raffi hovannisian, preparliament and the other opposition riffraff openly promoting assassinations and regime change. No thanks, I'll stick with a benevolent, powerful, and nationalistic dictatorship until the threat of war and extermination leaves the South Caucasus.
Fascism is preferable to democracy as a form of government. Fascism equates with nationalism and race realism. Hence the word fascism has been demonized to a degree of ultimate insult. It is enough to call someone Fascist and automatically is designated as a pariah. Fascist Italy was a great and modernizing ideology and force. The problem with fascism is they lost in the ideological struggle against agains the internationales philosophy heralded by the kind of establishment that rules the globe. However in the democratic jargon and vocabulary arsenal the enunciation of the word Fascism denotes any kind of enemy to the establishment and outright rejection of these enemies. Instead of calling someone son of a bitch, call it fascist, it is far more effective and destructive than anything else.
ReplyDeleteThe Anglo-American-Jewish run global media (and the Communist regime) during the post war years has turned the terms National Socialism and Fascism into words that have very negative/evil connotations. Consequently, it's impossible in today's climate to talk about national socialism and fascism in society without begin labeled as Nazi or a racist. People can no longer look at national socialism/fascism separately from Second World War era governments of German and Italy. Moreover, in the recent crisis in Ukraine, Moscow has used the terms in question to cleverly (yet unfortunately) make a powerful play on the sentiments of its people. Ukraine may have sealed the fate of national socialism and fascism, at least perception wise. Nevertheless, in my opinion, national socialism (and arguably constitutional monarchy) is, by far, the best form of government devised by man. In fact, I see many nations, including Russia, exercising forms of national socialism, albeit without the institutionalized racism of the version practiced in Nazi Germany...
DeleteA cease fire and peace agreement has been brokered. Is it a peace agreement or a truce and who benefits the most ? , the novorussians or the American Jewish mannequins of poroshenco and his gangsters ?
ReplyDeleteThere is no "peace agreement", there is no "truce", there is no "ceasefire". All sides are currently engaged in a very complex game of political maneuverings over what to do with Ukraine now that it's broken. Moscow will systematically bring all of eastern Ukraine under its orbit. In doing so, Moscow will make sure that Kiev never joins NATO or the EU. In doing so, Moscow will turn western Ukraine into a buffer zone between it and NATO.
DeleteRelevant:
Deletehttp://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/02/13/update-minsk-peace-deal-paul-craig-roberts/
Ukrainian events are very well orchestrated game by USA. I think they have a plan to create a new USA camp in the eastern Europe right in the middle of Russia and Western Europe. Russia, France and Germany were getting too close economically and USA felt that it would be eventually forced out of Europe. Thus they have succeeded in creating a new block within EU. Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. I am sure soon they will create a strong military alliance under USA not Nato. This new entity will serve USA interests the best. it will cutoff Russia from Europe making both dependent from USA.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't wonder if EU and Nato will be disbanded in the future and we will see an emergence of a new east eu like block that will be very militaristic in nature.
What you say makes sense from an Anglo-American-Jewish perspective. However, a project to militarize eastern Europe will be met with serious opposition from Germany and France, who as you noted maintain good relations with Russia. This why Moscow has to do its best to keep relations with France and Germany on good terms. This is part of the reason why Moscow has not been more aggressive in Ukraine...
DeleteFrance and Germany have media and regimes that are 100% American puppets. However, the American puppets Holland and Merkel are in a serious pickle because they have other national elites and the public at large to think about who are gravitating toward russophile tendencies. Just look at the comments on for example, Der Spiegel.
DeleteBy the way, don't for a second think that these talks in Minsk were an independent initiative by Merkel and Holland. It was entirely coordinated with Washington.
I am wondering about the next few days are going to play out. The Debaltsevo force is still surrounded. The "ancient Ukrs" are not being shy about spending all their munitions specifically against civilian infrastructure. They are also launching furious attacks to try and deblockade their group.
The ceasefire is supposed to take effect on Sunday. Here is my beef with this.
The "ancient Ukrs" are pulling in their reserves and elements from other points on the front to try and de-blockade the Debaltsevo force. After the "ancient Ukrs" exhaust their potential they become vulnerable to counter-attacks by the armed forces of Novarossia who should get tactical opportunities given that their enemy exhausted their artillery munitions, which should be after Sunday.
So how fair is that for the armed forces on Novarossia to take the brunt of the assault but then be forced to sit back purely due to a political decision?
wow, this is a political bomb in Armenia i was waiting for a while
ReplyDeletehttp://news.am/eng/news/252452.html
Very interesting. Seems like Sargsyan is making a direct play against Tsarukyan, who was just in Moscow looking for acceptance once again. Hanrapetakans and BH have collaborated for many years, are we to believe they have had a serious falling out? Too many bad things are happening at the same time. I have not felt this much tension in Armenia for a very long time. I believe this year may make or break the country. What a terrible year this has been thus far...
DeleteLook at this. This is also part of the bigger political picture in Armenia today. Nutjob Sefilian is claiming that he is forming a "civilian militia" to rid Armenia of its current regime so that we don't have a repeat of 1920... 1920-1921 is a significant date because it was around that time when Bolsheviks (popularly known as Russians) came down to occupy Armenia -
DeleteԺիրայր Սեֆիլյանի քաղաքացիական բանակը:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwEaDV9_0as
Check out this photo:
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9mHFaxIAAIR92Q.jpg
The agreements in Minsk at best will be a temporary reduction in hostility just like after Minsk-1
Genius. Whoever created this photo op deserves an award of some sort. I saw a similar picture earlier today in the Jew York Times -
DeleteWorld Leaders Meet in Belarus to Negotiate Cease-Fire in Ukraine: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/world/europe/meeting-of-world-leaders-in-belarus-aims-to-address-ukraine-conflict.html
These pictures are worth a thousand words and they are fascinating because at this level, the positioning and the demeanor of leaders are intentionally choreographed. And notice their general lineup -
http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-peace-summit-overshadowed-wars-worst-fighting-110856426.html
Putin and Merkel together in the middle (they represent the meeting's political epicenter); Lukashenko to Putin's right (implying to be Russia's ally); Hollande to Merkel's left (representing a Western power); and Poroshenko to Hollande's left (representing a Putin's Western-backed antagonist). Photos from such events are meant to suggest political messages to the viewer. The body language between Lukashenko and Putin looks very promising.
I have learned a thing or to about Lukashenko during this conflict. Lukashenko is a little weasel. What he demonstrated is that his first priority is the enshrining of his own dynasty rather than wider interests. His relation to Russia is to whine and gripe to Russia to give him stuff rather than be a true ally. Recently when Russia banned EU foodstuff, Belarus started to receive it, repackage it and send it into Russia. He also plays two sides of the fence with the Ukraine conflict.
DeleteLukashenko was clearly the happiest dude in the lot, all night you couldn't wipe that grin off his face as Lukanshenko found his humble abode at the center of attention.
But Putin was also generally in a good mood. Poroshenko apparently kept walking out of the room and calling his general staff to find out if they made any progress in Debaltsevo.
Also, Lukashenko has sent the KGB after Belorussian citizens who fight for the Donbass. There are plenty of them.
Deleteskhara,
DeleteRussia needs Lukashenko to appear to be neutral. He knows his goose would be cooked with a pro-Western slant. Diplomacy and war are based on deception.
Eurasian
Eurasian, you make a very good point. Although Lukashenko is very self-centered and opportunistic, he is no fool and he is under no illusions with regards to the West. Belarus essentially protrudes into NATO territory like the Kursk salient did in the summer of 1943. Lukashenko knows there are a lot of Western eyes on him. He knows that Belarus can very easily turn into a battlefield between East and West. He knows that Western leaders hate him and would want nothing more than to see him fall. I have long suspected that many of the problems that occasionally pop-up between Moscow and Minsk are hyped up for show. It may be Lukashenko's version of "complimentary politics", meant to keep Western powers off his back. With that said, however, I do not closely follow Belarusian political matters. Perhaps skhara can shed more light on this topic...
DeleteYes Arevordi this is a big political move. I guess Tsarukyan crossed a major red line. We can expect serious troubles from this. How sure is Sargsyan in his government under PM who is in laws with Tsarukyan? I feel Tsarukyan may have a role connected to Gyumri events. He has become a major liability. So he is to be taken out. It is not an easy task, but gloves are off. We can assume he is dangerous to our national security.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know what the red line was. I would also love to know who Tsarukyan met while he was in Moscow and what words were exchanged. Something very serious must have taken place between Tsrukyan and President Sargsyan because I do not think President Sargsyan would be picking a fight with Armenia's second most powerful party at an uneasy time like this. Nonetheless, it's very embarrassing as an Armenian to know that someone like Tsarukyan is actually one of the most popular and most powerful Armenian politicians today. Think of that: What does that say about the quality of our people? This is why I say governments are an accurate reflection of the people they rule over...
DeleteTsarukyan was trying to bribe Duma members from Edinaya Rossiya for support.
DeleteHe has been actively working to become a president in 2018. His main support base includes about 20-25% of Armenian population. Kotayq region, starting from north Yerevan areas all the way to Abovyan, Garni, Charencavan, Hrazdan, Sevan. He has been active into expanding the base to Gyumri. This is not a coincidence. Gyumri's tragic events opened a door for him to consolidate more power.
He had a seat at national security table meaning he knows most national secrets. He doesn't care how or who (Russians or Americans) can help him to get to Armenia's throne, the main objective is to get there. If you ask him to honestly tell you why he wants to become a president the answer most likely would be that he likes presidential caravan with patrols and trips to airport and back. flying too.
For a country like Armenia with 4 billion budget to have an oligarkh that worths 1.5 billion is unheard of. Oh forgot to mention he is best friends with Lukashenko and has his support. Russian government doesn't take him seriously but some influential Russian oligarkhs have business interests with him. And they all have been advising him to stay out of politics. But you know they call him Dodi Gago for a reason i guess.
I have to add to this that Tsarukyan was the main culprit of removal of NSS secretary Bagdasaryan. I am not a fun but i know that Bagdasaryan has accomplished a lot during his term with Russia's Petrushiev. That relationship was crucial in building many security agreements with Russia in last 4-5 years.
ReplyDeleteSarkissian needs to be ruthless and delete this Tsarukyan from the power play stakes. It is clear Tsarukyan is a dangerous political predator. As for Sefilian arming a civilian militia, he is another schyzophrenic Parukian clone, but seemingly with some fangs.
ReplyDeleteThe freaks you mentioned, as well as Raffi and Levon, are those that will reap the benefit of any form of "regime change" in Armenia, and they are the main reason why I remain pro-Hanrapetakan party.
DeleteOhanyan for president!
I just noticed something. This Harut Sassounian article on assbarez has zero comments. Harut Sassounian's articles get at least 3 or 4 comments, even if they are banal at best. But on this particular article, where Armenia's "head kikess" tries to cover her tribe's ass by crying crocodile tears over the blatant anti-Armenianism demonstrated by dozens of her fellow tribesmen. Are the admitted faggot ara khatchadourian and the spoiled AYF scum whose wealthy, connected parents bought them internships at assbarez really that shameless? Do they have their heads that far up Big Jew's ass? I can only imagine the harsh but honest and factual comments which the censors there deleted. What a bunch of trash, traitors to the Armenian nation.
ReplyDeleteJust another reminder that the Armenian Diaspora in the west is just too tainted by "modern American values"to be of any use or service to Armenia at all. And that the shameless Dashnaks will bend over and collectively spread their asses for whichever foreign interests their leadership decide should be fanatically worshiped by Armenians.
http://asbarez.com/131289/armenia%E2%80%99s-jewish-community-leader-lashes-out-at-pro-azeri-propagandists/
A little break, to loosen up a bit:
ReplyDeleteRussian anthem FAIL during Putin's visit to Egypt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57q4U3Q7Uo0
That was hilarious! LOL
DeleteArabs...
That was an arabic interpretation of Russian anthem, LOL
Deletehttp://rt.com/news/232275-poroshenko-saakashvili-advisor-appointment/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely disgusting...
Disgusting? Perhaps. Good news? Absolutely. The chocolate king couldn't ask for a better adviser than the tie eating dictator...
DeleteTsarukyan went to Moscow and met with political leaders. Who are the so called leaders ?. First of all tsarukyan needs to tie up his shirt collar and straighten his tie. He has the appearance of a mafia thug of the Chicago thirties. Second, his political partners in parliament are the pai of pariahs , Levon the judophile and Raffi the transplanted Americano. This troika could become an explosive cocktail of civil and social schism. The question to be asked is what amount of followers the troika can garner, or voting numbers. How is it possible that characters that the traitorous Levon and the bromide Raffi can still play political roles in politics.? The political landscape in hayastan is beginning to resemble more and more like the political miasma of Greek politics. Hayastan does not have the luxury to play political games. If this truculent troika keeps stirring trouble , the Sarkissian must unleash the full force of the state to squash it. How on earth did this oligarch tsarukyan accumulated his pharaonic wealth ? Did he fight at the front in Karabagh ? The man squeals for regime change. He must be more careful with his choice of words. Regime change is an Juden Americano code word for violent overthrow of a government. All regimes changes wrought by the judea Americans became theaters of brutal bombing campaigns,, massacres, bloodshed and perpetual strife. We can not have regime change in armenia, we may have a democratically elected , in election circuses, change of government, but no regime change. The troika should carry that lexicon elsewhere. Historically and traditionally we have been our worst enemies. We are behaving true to form. The syren call of free , independent hayastan has come to pass, after more than a century when the freedom call was coined. The commercial message is that we number 10m in the world. Why is not there a movement to campaign robustly for repatriation to the free independent homeland ? After ww2 there was massive immigration through Stalins policies. Why not now ? Syrian armenians should target Armenia as their destination, not other countries. Artsakh has been liberated, where are our hay settlers from the diaspora ?. Or is the government planning to import philipinos, Chinese and others to settle the rich and fertile ,liberated ,lands ? There is much cracking and vociferous calls of return of western armenia lands. If we are not able to lure a few millions fro the 10m pot of the diaspora to settle and grow in Artsakh, how are we going to settle the western part. It is 20 since artsakh was liberated, did the demographic change ? How many Hayes were repatriated ? In the meantime the political troika, traitors and thugs are right now seeking the dissolution, through their misguided and absurd actions, of what they always wanted, a free and independent hayastan. Even the Turks are changing their tune. Davotoglu refer to the diaspora " ou diaspora" , meaning the diaspora is turkish originated. A clever way to separate and divide. Technically speaking he is correct, the diaspora was the result of the genocide, and expulsions. The next turkish move would be to open citizenship of turkey to the diasporans seeking restitution through class action suits.
ReplyDeleteVery well said. I just hope the political situation in Armenia does into turn into a Greek tragedy.
DeletePS: I really wish you would adopt a name when posting comments.
I read this in today's Wall Street journal -
ReplyDeleteDeepening Ties Between Greece and Russia Sow Concerns in West: http://www.wsj.com/articles/deepening-ties-between-greece-and-russia-sow-concerns-in-west-1423870358
Could you repost the article. The source requires a login.
DeleteGoogle search the article's title - Deepening Ties Between Greece and Russia Sow Concerns in West - and click on the first result, it should open up the entire article.
DeleteGood advice by Arevordi. In case any of you guys/gals ever come across an article with a paywall, a Google search of the title almost always gets around the paywall on most websites.
DeleteThe WSJ article seemed more petty than usual. There were no allegations of warcrimes, which is the usual modus operandi of the mainstream media. Instead, it was like political gossips ("bro, fuckin' Greeks went to a Russian wedding party..."). I guess the intention was to sow fear into the gullible, neocon, Russophobic Americans who make up the bulk of the WSJ audience, as well as the trendy American-wannabes and pseudo-intellectual college whores and faggots across Europe.
Interestingly, the mains point I took away from the article was that Russia is steadily forming an identity centered around being the wold power which defends traditional European values and Christianity (aka right-wing politics or conservatism), and that Russia has resumed its Tsarist role as defender of Orthodox Christianity across Eastern Europe and the Northern Middle East... Arevordi has discussed and expanded upon both themes at various times in the past year in his commentaries and through linked articles. Arevordi, I suspect you have a few closet fans at the WSJ, Forbes and other MSM.
They are clearly pissed off: Notice the threatening title of the following Newsweek article and the very provocative photo -
Delete'Grave' Repercussions If Greece Turns to Russia: http://www.newsweek.com/grave-repercussions-nato-if-greece-turn-russia-305941
I liked this commentary about khohol mentality with a lot of non-normative language. The Russian language is the richest there is when it comes to cursing. This is my best attempt at an english translation.
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------
In your mass-subconscious you have only one fucking thought - the Russian is guilty. 23 years of independence and you shitted through everything . There was already one Maidan in 2004 with the same slogans, and in those 10 years you shitted through everything, placed another fuckhead in power - the russian is guilty. No money - the russian is guilty. A Red commissar cut down a ukrainian village -- "moskal" is guilty - never mind the fact that this commissar was Ukrainian. Holodomor - the russian is guilty. And you don't give a fuck who was at the head of the USSR. Stupid slavish nation who had everything. Problems for Ukraine were always solved by other nations but never Ukrainians themselves. Polacks, Hungarians, Luthuanians, Germans, Turks, Swedes, Russians, and today EU and USA. It is crappy living for a khokhol in Sweden? Well then the Swede is guilty, bitch. We should go knock on the door of the Polack. Crappy in the house of the Polack? Lets knock on USA's door. Ukraine is a nation-whore, who speculates with its blue and yellow pussy and is happy to spread her legs in front of anyone who pays well, but when money ends, she demonstratively storms out of the room demonstratively banging the door. The Germans were exterminating khokhols 70 years ago. However, khokhols are not against sucking German dicks today for money - after all, that's all history a lot of time has gone by. And all the while they spew venom at "Soviet-terror" who built all the khokhol-factories, and the entire khkhol-infrastructure -- all thatthe khokhols successfully fucked up over 23 years of "independence".
http://www.dw.de/imf-ukraine-to-get-40-billion-bailout/a-18250993
DeleteThe Jewing of Ukraine is in full swing.
I think it's safe to say Tsarukyan does not have too much genuince charisma. How popular can a guy nicknamed "Dodi Gago" possibly be? He has some flunkies who kiss his ass because he is extremely wealthy and occasionally tries to buy votes through free tractors or healthcare during election season:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24566634.html
http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/elections2012/4762/
Perhaps a few of the peasants are impressed by the fact that Tsarukyan was an arm-wrestling champion, and they translate that achievement into a perception that being around Tsarukyan makes them alpha dogs in Armenian society. The sad thing is that Tsarukyan is wealthy enough that if he had any actual brains or nationalism, he could genuinely work to improve the lives of most Armenians by several orders of magnitude. Instead he went on an egotistical, and ultimately foolish, political path in order to secure his wealth and expand his power and add to his "glory." Tsarukyan is a great representation of what a vast majority of Armenians would evolve (or devolve) into if they could reach their full potential: short-sighted, self-aggrandizing, arrogant and unfit for serious politics. But, while having the manners of a greasy Sicilian mobster may get one far in local Armenian politics/business, I think Tsarukyan is biting off way more than he can chew. I suspect his decide to take on the Armenian government will be as disastrous for him as Operation Barbarosa was for the Germans.
Tsarukyan is one generation away from being a peasant. Let's recall the infamous interview where his mother admitted that they do not pay taxes:
http://www.thetruthmustbetold.com/2012/04/20/47/
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/home/28708
Notice that the links to Roza Tsarukyan's "You want me to give it to them so they go to Monte Carlo? I’m not going to give… I’m giving it to the socially vulnerable strata of the society, I’m giving it to a kindergarten, I’m giving it for free medical treatment" statement is mainly being exploited by the like of Ara "The Cock-Sucker" Manoogian (we know manoogian regularly reads our comments here and occasionally makes an unwanted appearance) and the opposition propaganda outlet known as Lragir. This combined with the fact that Vartan Oskanian, associated with pro-western agents Salpi "Whores-face" Ghazarian and Civilitas, and a few others are associated with Tsarukyan, ultimately make him a liability.
Don't get me wrong, if Dodi Gago were removed tomorrow, some equally worthless scumbag Armenian "businessman" would rise to take his place, because this is unfortunately what the modern Armenian is. But since Armenia is in need of a shake-up, and since Armenia's oligarchs (modern-day Nakharars) need to be reined in by the President (modern-day King) before the oligarchs lead rebellions at the behest of their foreign sponsors, I look at this current development as an opportunity.
It is also interesting to see Sargsyan openly attack Tsarukyan while he keeps quiet about Sefilian, Giragosian, Hayrikyan, Hovanissyan, and for the most part Bozstanjian (she has forced him to speak a time or two). Sargsyan must be very confident that the Armenian security bodies which he heads have the other "regime change crew" firmly under control.
https://www.numbersusa.com/news/members-congress-and-union-rally-support-workers-laid-h-1b-hires
ReplyDeleteOff-topic but relevant. A few key points:
-American corporations despise the American worker, American family, and American middle class, and especially the White American. Corporate management will always find a way to offshore manufacturing or import cheaper labor, and the corporate directors will pocket the bulk of the "savings" that this produces. It is a very short-sighted move, because it rots and hollows out the country from the inside. A country with a very small, ultra-wealthy elite and large, impoverished masses cannot last too long.
-"Jobs gains" that government statistics tout, already patently (aka "on the face") questionable as Paul Craig Roberts and others have pointed out based on the illogical gains reported in a bad economy, are also latently (aka "buried in the data") questionable because a significant portion of the higher-paying technology jobs have been given to H1-B1 visa holders, despite the fact that there are plenty of qualified Americans who are willing and able to do those jobs.
The above is just more evidence of corruption on a massive scale, something to keep in mind as a comparison next time some western-funded think tank engages in doom-and-gloom warfare about corruption in Armenia.
Poland: Transsexual Lawmaker Announces It Will Run For President
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailyslave.com/poland-transsexual-lawmaker-announces-it-will-run-for-president/
Glory to free Poland! Glory to modern Europe! Lol. At this point I can no longer blame any of Europe's decadence on Big Jew. It is plain and simple that Europeans, whether Catholic or Protestant or Atheist, have always had within them a strong tendency for homosexuality, pedophilia, a strong craving by the women of Europe to be satisfied by black/brown men, and a strong craving by the men of Europe to watch their women get satisfied by black/brown men. And of course there is the Catholic preference for little boys... Again, some Armenians share White Nationalist, Pan-European, Neo-Nazi, Aryan emotions and are quick to defend non-Orthodox Europe and express sorrow, sympathy and outrage at its humiliating decline. I reject any such sentiment; Europe made its bed and had been lying in it for centuries with its Turkish and Jewish lovers. Let their pathetic, childless population become bastardized and disenfranchised, and let their countries burn to the ground. Foremost among them the British, French and Polish. Next time you hear any Armenian use the phrase "shared European values" tell that Armenian to go fuck himself.
Bonus from Poland, in 2004 Warsaw had the honor of hosting a world-record "gangbang" featuring one woman and 919 men:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_bang_pornography
Yes Saakashvilli has been all over Ukraine TV making a complete ass out of himself. He joins the long list of "freedom fighting" asses there is.
ReplyDeleteSemen Semenchenko (real name Kostya Grishin), is being joked about in Russian blogosphere that he is a resident spy of the FSB. He's been collecting ideal nazis and been sending them repeatedly into ambushes and decimation while spending a crap load of time on Ukrainian TV and joining the ranks of "deputies".
Something interesting for you guys in Business Insider today
ReplyDeleteA detailed look at the Middle East that might have been
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-middle-east-that-might-have-been-2015-2
Arto1
I agree with Arevordi and several commenters here regarding Hanrapetakan vs. BH issue. But unfortunate reality is that both are equally bad. SS, Shashik and their gang are completely out of control and they treat people like shit. Besides the fact that they are openly “talanum u laphum en sovats zhogovurdy mech”, they are not even trying to make a slightest attempt to make it easy on the people and stand by them in the special situation such as Gyumri incident, and several other situations that Tsarukian used in his speech.
ReplyDeleteBy no means I like any other party or political movement in Armenia better, and I also know the fact that politicians in the region, including Russian once, have historically been very cold and reserved when it comes to talking to people or making public appearances or comments. But current situation is different and government may need to put little effort and do something about this. They don’t even have a single project or program that they are working on to make things better. People in Hayastan are really hurting today. It appear that we are losing a battle on the border, vast majority of the people straggling to find a bread to put on the table, while our ungraget tgets both in government and Doda-sition are leaving a dream. In my opinion, people are too tired at this point and they would just follow anyone to make a change. I hope I am completely wrong on this, but situation is going to turn from bad to ugly this time around. Everyone in Yerevan already talks about big rally this Friday. Soros and his filth have nothing to do with this one. It’s all SS and his tasteless, primitive and uneducated feudals (Lfik, Nemets, Tsaxik, Qaqik, ets).
Where is Kocharyan?
I wish I had better first comment. Big fan of the blog, Arevordi.
AV
Your first comment was an accurate reflection of our time. It therefore could not have been expressed any other way. I agree with everything you said. This is the crux of our tragedy: Ignorant, incompetent, moneygrubbing, mafioso-wannabe chobans on one side and similarly ignorant, incompetent, moneygrubbing but also treasonous mercenaries on the other side.The ONLY thing that tips the balance in favor of the Hanrapetakan party is that most of the other side (Levon Petrosian, Raffi Hovanissian, Paruyr Hayrikyan, Vartan Oskanian, Founding Parliament) is led - directly or indirectly - by Western powers.
DeleteRegarding Barkavaj Hayastan: I believe Armenia's crucially important ties with Moscow will be maintained with BH in power. However, do we really want BH in power? BH is Dodi Gago's personal club. Without him there is no BH. Dodi Gago is a politically ignorant, criminally minded and opportunistic businessman who began making is wealth in Armenia while his compatriots were fighting for Armenia's survival in Artsakh. I don't see anything positive that can be brought to the table by Dodi Gago's BH.
The Hanrapetakans are the lesser of all the evils in the country. The Hanrapetakans are the devil we know. Unlike BH, Hanrapetakans are at least a serious political party with many influential players. The Hanrapetakans have gained considerable political experience. What's more, Armenia has institutionalized its strategically important alliance with Russia mostly thanks to Hanrapetakans and the "Karabakh clan". I hope to see Ohanyan as the next president.
In my opinion, the safest and most effective way to bring about positive change in the country is not a revolution (that would be utterly disastrous for the country) but to figure out a way to put pressure on the Hanrapetakans to change the political culture in Yerevan. Knowing Armenians well, I realize this will be a very slow and painful process but slow, evolutionary, internal change is the ONLY option we have. After all, Armenia's neighbors are not Swedes or Italians but Turks and Muslims.
At the end of the day, the sociopolitical situation in Armenia today, taken together with the good and the bad, is an accurate reflection of the quality of people living in Armenia today. The deep disappointment and frustration I feel when observing our people's self-destructive behavior is why I sometimes feel we would be better off as part of the Russian Federation...
Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your participation.
"I feel when observing our people's self-destructive behavior is why I sometimes feel we would be better off as part of the Russian Federation..."
DeleteI'm with you on this. And I say this with a heavy heart. If shit hits the fan, that's what we should do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQeqR8JApxw
These are images from the throat of Debaltsevo. A lot Ukrs losses there:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7J3GN0dUrY#t=38
This is turning into another Ilovaisk for them.
Deja Vu. Similar to what happened back in September, the latest ceasefire once again sealed the fate of trapped Ukrainian soldiers. Although Kiev is refusing to admit it, I think the number of soldiers surrounded in Debeltseve are in the thousands. So, there is the potential of a more serious Ukrainian defeat than what happened in Iloviask. Before all this ends, we may see yet another bloody uprising in Kiev. What a bunch of mindless and self-destructive idiots these people turned out to be...
DeleteActually Arevordi, word is Kiev is preparing for an uprising. Except that its not going to happen because it will get crushed before it ever gets off the ground. This isn't nice Yanukovich and there isn't Oligarch and American money behind it.
DeleteAlso, Jeffrey Payet is complaining that the "seperatists" are better armed than some NATO and European countries. I can see what they fear so much. Right now, the armed of Novarossia gets gaining potetial while the Ukrs keep losing it. There is military mobilization being called by Donetsk and Lugansk and apparently recruitment centers are busy processing people. They want to raise up 100K people. NATO fear this because these people are becoming gods of war now and view NATO as an enemy, so instead of turning Ukrainian territory into militarized banderite russophobes ready to sacrifice themselves for the empire - NATO may find itself getting exactly the opposite - a highly motivated army with solid soviet era equipment and people who know how to use it pointing their tanks at Warsaw.
Debaltsevo seems to be falling. A lot of important things also happening in Yemen which is also a victory for Iran and Russia.
DeleteWith Ukrainian Troops Trapped, a Cease-Fire Grows More Fragile
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/world/europe/ukrainian-troops-trapped-cease-fire-fragile.html?_r=1
Arto1
Good to see Armenia's ancient and medieval traditions making a comeback: statehood, military service, and spiritual guidance from the Armenian Church:
ReplyDeleteՍբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ եկեղեցում ժամկետային զինծառայողներ են մկրտվել
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an15RBhQPeE
First footage of a mass surrender of Ukr troops:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRiEKCaH2iA
I watching the Debaltsevo saga unfold -- today seems very critical. DPR and LPR are inside Debaltsevo. Command and Control of troops for Ukrs is lost and their checkpoints and re-inforced positions are being isolated from one another. Some of thier units are trying to break out in small groups through backroads and are falling to ambushes.
OSCE is screaming "ceasefire" DPR and LPR are not interested on this sector.
Moscow's war effort in Novorossia was slow and sloppy in the get go. But what a brilliant display of warcraft it has since been. I can't tell you how impressed I am at how well Moscow has been orchestrating its proxy war in eastern Ukraine. The way they have maneuvered between diplomacy and covert war fighting has been masterful. They have also been very effective, surprisingly effective, in the information war. They now have Western powers in a pickle. If the West doesn't militarily help Kiev, more Ukrainian territory will be lost in the east. If they do help Kiev, Moscow will increase the intensity of its military assistance to the rebels and more Ukrainian territory will be lost in the east - at a faster pace. If the West doesn't help in any significant way, they run the risk of looking impotent, worthless and backstabbing, much more so than in the aftermath of Georgia. If they do help, not only will they face losing more Ukrainian territory, they will also face Russian arms to Iran and Hezbollah.
DeleteAnyway, I have no doubt that more Ukrainian territory will be systematically liberated, especially now that Saakashvilii is advising the chocolate king LOL But Moscow will NOT annex any of the liberated territories in the east. In other words, Karabakhization of Novorossia is in full swing. Just like how the status quo in NKR is used by Moscow to keep leverage over both Yerevan and Baku, Moscow will be using Novorrosia as a leverage over Kiev and NATO. The pro-Russian insurgency in Novorossia effectively takes Crimea out of any discussion. Notice that there has been very little talk about Crimea. As the pro-Russian rebels grow in strength in Novorossia, Crimea will become a very distant memory for Kiev.
Russia's successful annexation of the strategically important Crimean peninsula alone, historic in scope and brilliant in its execution, is why the Western-instigated crisis in Ukraine was ultimately a strategic Russian victory - regardless of what happens in Kiev.
Here is a good look at the current situation by Bloomberg news -
Ukraine's President Trapped With His Troops: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-17/ukraine-s-president-is-trapped-with-his-troops?cmpid=yhoo
I am also amazed at the progress NAF made. Everyone talks about Russia's help with military equipment but you can not turn an army into a deadly fighting force with spirit to match only with equipment. These people have done an incredible job turning a militia into a 21st century lethal army.
DeleteThis battle is just starting. little by little with time they will acquire more territory. Meanwhile Kiev may change few more leaders, new governments will be formed and every one of them will loose more territory. I have full confidence Kiev will come back to Russian sphere via another revolution. At the end west may have 3-4 regions absorbed into Poland.
What worries me more is Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. If you look at the map that is a north/south line between Russia and Europe. I think USA will have that line under it's control and heavily militarized.
That's where a new cold war border will come to. Just think about it, 25 years ago cold war line was in Germany.
All of the western media is reporting the capture
DeleteREPORTS: Pro-Moscow rebels just captured a key Ukrainian town
http://uk.businessinsider.com/reports-pro-moscow-rebels-captures-railway-town-of-debaltseve-2015-2
Arto1
Good job by the Novorossiya! They are following in the example Artsakh set in the 1990s and making a stand for popular sovereignty everywhere, and kicking some western-sponsored ass in the process. Gee, I guess the western media was lying when it kept gloating that western sanctions and western "humanitarian aid" had left Russia and Novorossiya on the brink of collapse a month ago.
DeleteNATO fear this because these people are becoming gods of war now and view NATO as an enemy, so instead of turning Ukrainian territory into militarized banderite russophobes ready to sacrifice themselves for the empire - NATO may find itself getting exactly the opposite - a highly motivated army with solid soviet era equipment and people who know how to use it pointing their tanks at Warsaw.
Excellent. Putin again pulled off another grand geostrategic judo move and flipped the weight of the west's attack, turning it into another casualty for the west. Apart from the territorial gains, I can only imagine how powerful the "rally around our flag" effect has been on the ordinary Russians who can no longer deny that the west openly wants to kill them and steal their country.
ps There is an amusing theory that Sackofshitvilli is actually a Russian double-agent based on the fact that no true patriot could possible have blundered the management of his country as bad as he did, which basically set South Ossetia and Abkhazia up to move under the Russian umbrella and leave Georgia permanently. I want to see how much help he can provide to Moscow from his new post in Kiev... If are lucky after Kiev saakashvili will move to baku or ankara, that way Armenia can get Nakhichevan or parts of Western Armenia back.
I have read, carefully followed, and listened to lectures and I feel I have an understand with what Moscow wants with Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteThis whole "seperatism" deal is a red herring. Moscow is not at all interested in splitting Ukraine. It is actually the west who wants to split Ukraine so they can nurture their anti-Russian "bandershtat" on that territory. What Moscow wants is all of Ukraine in its orbit, that includes Galichina.
Certainly if you listen to some folks in the Donbass their ideas might sound "seperatist", but that's because they don't see the bigger picture in global politics - they only see their house, their yard, their mom - and that's what they know to defend. What I found interesting was that Zakharchenko and Plotnitskij had a private talk with Putin and only after that talk did they sign on to Minsk2. They I listened to the statement made by Zakharchenko who said: "We are giving Ukraine a chance to change. The people of the Donbass will be the catalyst for that change." Moscow over the next several years is going to work to make Ukraine uninteresting to the Americans (this is where the strategy to cut Ukraine out of the gas-transit system alltogether comes in) while de-ligitimizing the regime in the eyes of Ukrainian citizens, while helping to legitimize the processes and institutions that take hold in the Donbass. Basically Donbass is being groomed as the only legitimate heirs to the Kiev throne. Also remember what Zakharchenko said by the airport - he said: "we must never forget that Kiev is our city, its our spiritual capital".
Going forward it will be Donbass that epitomizes Ukraine, not Galichina. And it will start with their establishement of institutions starting with their two military corps called "People's militia of Donetsk Peoples Republic" and "People's militia of Lugansk People's Republic".
Galichina will take time to cleanse itself of the pro-Western influences, although that might not happen at all since Lviv is the stronghold of Ukrainian nationalism there. It is also the stronghold of the Greek Catholic faith there, so I don't see Russia trying to integrate that volatile region there. At best, it should function as a separate state so that the wider Russian world should eliminate any influence of Catholicism within its territories.
DeleteWhat Russia, Ukraine and Belarus should promote though, is the Pan-Rus' unionism that is similar to the ideological unionism that Montenegro had: while Montenegro maintains its separate identity, Serbia recognized it as an equal state.
Yes, but Russia is starting about 23 years too late. Or maybe 63 years, as the USSR gave up on fighting the Bandera spirit in the 1950's, or so they say.
DeleteSo what you wrote is clearly what the Kremlin would like, but what is practical? The problem isn't really the US, it is that a large number of Ukrainians hate Russia. An interesting angle is that a significant percentage of these Russia-haters are basically Russian. They think, act, read, write, and talk in Russian. The idea that this will change quickly is debatable. There is a saying in science that "progress occurs one death at a time." In other words, old people die, along with their opinions, while young people have different opinions. And that may be what we have seen in the Ukraine. The older folks have a fairly favorable view of Russia or the USSR, while the younger ones are full of the spirit of Bandera. So Russia needs ten or twenty years of controlling Ukrainian education or media.
I think it might be a lot more practical to drive the Banderaites to Galicia, and let Galicia and Transcarpathia become independent.
Eurasian
Eurasian,
DeleteOne of the talents/powers of the Anglo-American-Jewish political order is their ability to meddle in the affairs of nations. Using their massive technological, cultural, financial, economic and political influence, they are able to go to virtually any spot on earth and exploit old biases and hatreds. What they do is similar to a greater power coming into North America and exploiting problems that exists between European whites and blacks or between whites and native Americans. Imagine what would happen if Washington was weak and a great power came to North America to organize, fund and arm Mexicans, American Indians and African Americans against the WASP/Jewish establishment in the US. But that is not going to happen because we are living in an Anglo-American-Jewish era in world history. The aforementioned therefore currently have the initiative, they have the tools and they have the global levers to exploit and manipulate.
With that said, the blame ultimately goes to we the sheeple, because our materialism, our hatreds, our biases, our political illiteracy and our shortsightedness gives them their powers.
Well major major changes today. Putin made some very confident powerful statements. He said: "I understand that Kiev is upset. Its always upsetting to lose, especially to lose to yesterdays tractor drivers and coal miners, but life goes on. We should focus on how to save the lives of those trapped in Debaltsevo and they should be allowed a safe passage out after putting down their arms. Kiev should not interfer with their chance to surrender."
ReplyDelete"American weapons are already coming to Ukraine according to our information. However, I am convinced that regardless of what kinds and how much weapons sent, the end result would still be the same."
"I believe the majority of Ukrainian servicemen have no desire to participate in the fracticidal war especially far away from their homes, while the militia of the Donbass have high motivation because they are at home."
Incidentally, Zakharchenko suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the fighting in Debaltsevo today.
Zacharchenko is leading from the front lines. That's amazing.
DeleteIt is obvious that Moscow would like to turn Ukraine into a dependency, and eventually bring Kiev into a pact with Russia. But I strongly feel that regardless of what happens in Kiev, Novorossia, like NKR, will be defacto part of Russia. Novorossia's ties with Moscow will be very close even if the region becomes a semi-autonomous, federal province within Ukraine. It would be VERY foolish of Moscow to surrender Novorossia to Kiev even if a pro-Russian government comes into power in Kiev. Moscow will not break its hard won ties in the region for any reason. Moscow will not repeat the mistake of the Soviets. In the short to midterm, however, Novorossia will be defacto part of Russia and the rest of Ukraine will be sort of a no man's land, a buffer state between Russia and NATO.
At least it's kinda official that the Battle of Debaltsevo has ended in a victory for Novorossiya's military over the Ukrainian Army. Yet the real struggle hasn't begun, and I don't know how the Novorossiyan authorities will make their next move, now that Debaltsevo has been secured. I suspect that Poroshenko's days may be numbered, though the idea of Yarosh continuing the war might not be unrealistic, given his refusal to recognize Minsk II.
DeleteThere are possible targets that Novorossiya could achieve, but I think the most realistic right now should be to secure the rest of the Ukrainian-controlled territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts before heading towards Kharkiv or even attempting to capture more territories in southern Ukraine for the purpose of linking up Crimea with the mainland.
Seeing as the Kharkiv People's Republic didn't arise unlike Donetsk and Luhansk, I believe that right now securing the rest of the Oblasts should be top priority for Novorossiya.
Well Arevordi, I will say this. Global wheelers and dealers and higher powers always give signs and subtle hints to those who want to pay close attention and make correct decisions.
DeleteRemember the doves being attacked by angry birds in the Vatican right after the pope prayed for peace in Ukraine? (sign of what was to come - death, poverty, devastation, war)
Remember the guardsman who feinted and dropped his rifle during Poroshenko's inauguration - a sign of what was to happen to his army.
Or the bleached out American flags on top of the Brooklyn bridge, done by some supposed "pranksters celebrating art".
There will not be in the near future any kind of silly project called Ukraine:
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqm64JX_8kE
I agree that major global events have always been preceded by heavenly signs. I also agree that major global events are signaled by higher, earthly powers. And then there are stupid errors made by idiots. The CNN map in question is more probably the result of some Anglophone idiot, the type that cant even locate his or her country on a map. But, it might as well be prophetic...
DeleteConcerning the information war. DO you guys remember all the hype from the American media over "embedded journalism" in Iraq?
ReplyDeleteNow have you guys seen anything ever like the footage brought to you by Russian journalist crews out of the fighting in Novarossia. NTV, Lifenews, Channel 1, Channel 24, Komsomolskaya Pravda, and of course independents like anna-news, news-front, icorpus. Some have been killed and injured - I for one, have never seen something like this -- the guts shown by these people is incredible.
Churkin made a slip of the tongue at the UN:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8T9LbT0MA @ 3:39.
"There are a lot of population centers have been completely destroyed as a result of the actions of the America_ er em uh Ukrainian forces".
Jerrico, there is no away the armed forces of Novarossia are going to settle leaving a slew of population centers of the Donbass under the regime in Kiev. Regardless of how its going to be done - military, diplomatic, political -- they won't leave the situation.
ReplyDeleteIt struck me an image of an old woman that came to Ukr camera crew and yelled at them about calling the militia of Donbass "terrorists". This was in the town of Avdeevka. She said: "Half of Avdeevka is there fighting for Novarossia, all our children are there". Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Lisichansk, Severo-Donetsk are downs that gave a lot of soldiers to Novarossia, no way will they leave their home towns in the hands of the enemy.
You're right, Skhara. However, even Novorossiya's military can make mistakes too. While they might have to consolidate control over their newly conquered territories, they need to maintain their logistics as well as their ability to prosecute the war. Eventually those regions will be liberated, but as long as Novorossiya is flushed with their victory, they cannot afford to fall for victory disease.
DeleteWith that in mind, I suspect that Novorossiya should also try to instigate rebellions elsewhere within the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, but if Kharkiv could revolt, that might also force the Ukrainian Army to stretch its forces beyond their limits.
Jerriko (not logged in)
Graham Philip's asks this soldier named Alexander from Dnepropetrovsk a very direct question:
ReplyDeleteGraham: How do you feel about fighting your brother?
Alexander: Like shit. What you think I am satisfied with myself?
Graham: What's the difference between the people of Dnepropetrovsk and Donbass?
Alexender: Ask up there. Points his thumb.
Նոր գռարում՝
ReplyDeleteՆոր Հայ Ռազմիկներ Ծնվո՞ւմ են (Ժամանակակից Հայությունը Ա.)
http://haiknahapet.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-post_19.html
Something worth reading:
ReplyDeletehttp://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/18/the-draft-dodgers-of-ukraine-russia-putin/
The funny part is that the draft dodger featured in the article came from Lviv, a stronghold of Ukrainian nationalism. I guess the Ukrainian Army has trouble finding enough recruits to fight the war against an increasingly powerful Novorossiyan military. If this keeps up, then the war in Eastern Ukraine might be reduced to a brouhaha between the likes of the Azov Battalion, Right Sector and other Battalions against the NAF, with the Ukrainian Army soldiers acting as spoilers.
Novorossia Armed Forces are truly amazing. Dedicated men (and women) with high spirits and morale. Effective leadership at all levels, superb coordination between units and high levels of discipline in the ranks.
ReplyDeleteBut most impressive were their battle tactics: in a short period of time, they destroyed the Debaltsovo pocket not by just surrounding it as everyone was expecting, but by making it collapse under the multi-axis attacks by armor, spetsnaz troops and diversionary (sabotage) and recon units. All under the cover of very accurate artillery fire. The poorly led, demoralized and unwilling to fight Ukrainian conscript soldiers had no chance.
Piles of destroyed Ukrainian Army equipment are seen in the videos that are coming from the area. The surreal scenes remind me of the destruction of the German Army in Stalingrad - in full color this time.
Dozens of tanks and other vehicles have been captured. In fact the Novorossians have captured more equipment than they lost in the battle. This is a repeat of Ilovaisk...possibly on an even larger scale.
One of the counter-artillery radar units recently supplied by the USA has also been captured. It can be seen in this video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjf95WiAo3g
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/zvezdochettt/14950308/59059/59059_original.jpg
Here are a few other interesting videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1EELlsorA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdDFSE9Qf-Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qi8ixn6-Vo
Than you for the links, Zoravar. These people are truly amazing, at least from a military perspective. I'm also very impressed with the way Cossacks have made a great impact on the war in recent months. Nevertheless, what a contrast between these people and "yalla yalla" yelling Syrians troops... The important role of genetics and breeding at play once more.
DeleteWell a complete disaster for Kiev and a resounding victory for the forces on Novarossia to close out the winter campaign.
DeleteA very important one too from both strategic, tactical, and political point of view.
Incidentally, for those who are wondering about the white pieces of clothes on the men. All the pro-Russian forces in the all the conflicts have used white cloth as an identification for "your guys" in urban combat settings. In Chechnya both the federal troops and Chechen pro-Russian militias did, in 2008 Ossetian and Abkhazian militias along with Russian troops did, and now the forces of Novarossia are continuing. The Ukrs use yellow tape.
Do you guys notice what filthy mess they are? I mean even the places they sleep is a pig pen. We all know they suck as soldiers and they are inept, but how mess and lazy they are is beyond me. I have not seen one well kept Ukie dwelling, these guys are just filthy animals. Even the comments on one of the video said something like " to leave such things laying around " unreal.
DeleteVahram
I wouldn't be too hard on them Vahram - that's really just the state of that army and them being thrown on those conditions far away from their homes. IN that sense the forces of Novarossia have an advantage because the soldiers are so close to home. When a guy gets tired, takes leave for a few days, goes to his mom and dad, has some borscht and pirozhki, gets a shower and then back on the front line.
DeleteI also saw a piece on Motarolla who has an apartment in Donetsk. Literally each day he was gearing up in his body armor and uniform and heading to work to smoke the "cyborgs" out of the airport.
The barracks whore null do is visiting yereva and she has her genetic racial chutzpah to ask armenia to return the azeri criminal ,sentenced in Karabagh, to azerbaijan on humanitarian grounds. This meretricious harlot should be told to visit a sex shop and buy herself a few toys to satiate her orgiastic blood lus , and stop ruminating garbage, I dare not think that the authorities will pay heed to this traveling burlesque show. She should go to Israel and demand from his co racial criminal netanehuy to release all Palestinian Prisoners on humanitarian grounds instead. The whore nulland should be asked to mediate between an exchange of the criminal azeri for the murderer Safarov. Null and should focus on trying to obtain posthumous pardon for the entire National Socialists henchmen hanged in the kangaroo Juden run court in Nuremberg , on humanitarian grounds of course.
ReplyDeleteHere is a good clip about the kinds of people fighting there:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iypMGQs490
Who is conducting an anti-terrorist operation again?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqliEMkzVQQ
It read one report that Ankara cancelled the Gallipoloi "celebrations" due to low numbers of respondents ? It was egregiously weird that any nation would want to celebrate the battle of Gallipoli. The Australians, New Zealand , English and other imperial troops would gather in turkey to "celebrate" a turkish victory and an allied defeat .
ReplyDeleteObama Plays Hardball With Israel…for Once
ReplyDeletehttp://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/17/obama-plays-hardball-with-israelfor-once/
Obama is a straw Zionist puppet. We will see a camel passing through the eye of a needle before this synthetic bufoon ever plays hard ball with the chosenites.
ReplyDeletehttp://osnetdaily.com/2015/02/the-ottoman-conquest-of-the-middle-east-begins-turkey-invades-syria-to-annex-security-zone/
ReplyDeleteI think these guys have a bit more rhythm than the idiots in Azov:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2RRU0QD40w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhVWjYbULdQ
Delete:-)
Vahram
I don't know if you guys knew this, but on Feb 23rd, all across the post-Soviet space is a commemorative day called "Defender of the Fatherland day". The current regime in Kiev cancelled its apparently, but the people of Novarossia will be definitely marking it.
ReplyDeleteToday Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republic celebrated "Defenders of the Fatherland" day. This was originally a post-revolutionary Soviet Union holiday celebrating the Red Army (an army of workers and peasants). Its interesting how things are today. Really the armed forces of Novarossia are exactly that: an army of workers and peasants.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCHblu3FONk
A jew is a jew is a jew.
ReplyDeleteIn Ukraine the celebration for 23 February is cancelled, even though for years citizens of Ukraine celebrated this date. Now check out Poroshenko's candies in Russia:
http://news-front.info/2015/02/23/23-fevralya-dlya-poroshenko-dyoshevo-i-serdito-semen-uralov/
OMG!!!! Even that scary St. George ribbon.
There is a term in Russian called: "zhido-bendery".
Real nice bit of embedded journalism called "3 days in hell". In debaltsevo.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyAAfW8voSk
The first battle you see there, he says the spotted Ukr vehicles. As a result of that battle you see some very violent explosions. That was a vehicle carrying ammo. After that hit, the Ukrs pulled back and the unit had to take a different route to avoid the bursts of explosions.
Next you see a positional battle, after a shootout their tank pulled up, and the Ukrs withdrew when then heard the tank engine.
Finally, the author complains that their tank and IFV was taken away and reassigned somewhere else, but they still had to secure a hospital even without the heavy gear.
Could the Georgians finally have waken up to the reality? Instead of going on this stupid folly the West has set them up on. Think of what could have happened both the Georgia and Armenia had these idiots used their minds and thought about their actions. Not only would 2008 not ever have happened but all the trade deals, and business that could have taken place from the start. Both countries would be major transport regions this alone would have lifted both countries. It's a good thing that Saakashvili is now an enemy of the state, but he did his damage. I guess better late then never.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIOzjgLb0Jk
Vahram
Georgians have been sobering up slowly. Georgia wants to live, and obviously they have some adequate people there and they did go from russophobic vitrol and hate to the world of real-politic. Although they did have feel the effects of turned off Russian gas, economic embargo, and getting crushed militarily in order to make the recognize the fact that the "west" couldn't give a shit about them and are perfectly fine with using them as a pawn for sacrifice. But I guess some have figured it out and Georgia wants to live.
DeleteInteresting survey about Germany.
ReplyDelete20% of Germans want revolution, majority say democracy 'isn't real' - study
http://rt.com/news/234939-germans-want-revolution-report/
Even the richest and most advanced counties have internal problems. If a world power wants to make trouble in Germany they can by using levers to manipulate society and create unrest. The same can be done in the US if there is a power that can do it.
Arto1
Bravo Arto. You touched upon the danger that humanity currently faces. Those who have the global levers to manipulate and exploit the internal problems or growing pains of societies around the world is the Anglo-American-Jewish world order. The have the financial, cultural, economic, political and military tools to meddle in the domestic affairs of virtually any society on earth virtually at will. They can fund all kinds of subversive movements knowing that if such movements ever come home to bite them they will be easily dealt with (e.g. Occupy Wall Street). They can start fires around the world knowing that such fires will not reach them.
DeleteMy opinion is that Germany is particularly vulnerable as Germany is not even a real country. It is occupied territory.
DeleteBY the way, Stalin's Democratic German Republic was a wonderful country. It had particularly strong accomplishments in sports, culture, and military. If there was a war fought between east and west germany, the east would have crushed west.
DeleteToday, in the midst of rising radical islam, bearded women, gays, liberalism, many wast germans are using the word: "nostalgia" when remembering the 60s and 70s.
Twenty nine years ago to this day, the Philippines had its own 'Maidan' called EDSA Uno because it took place at a famous street in the capital. The story goes like this: 'evil dictator' is corrupt, the Filipino people are being oppressed and there is a need to restore democracy, and so on. The dictator at this point was one Ferdinand Marcos, and he was replaced by a complete incompetent housewife of a murdered rival politician (of whom I actually think the bastard deserved it for selling out our own territorial claims in Borneo).
ReplyDeleteFast forward to 2014 and another country had THE Maidan that took place on this very same month. The story scenario is similar, except replace Ferdinand Marcos with Viktor Yanukovych, and Corazon Aquino with Petro Poroshenko. However, the scenario remains the same.
What I want to say though, is that twenty to thirty years from now, Ukrainians should ask themselves if the Maidan was still worth it or was it a one, giant mistake. We Filipinos agreed that the EDSA Maidan in 1986 was the biggest mistake ever and it was most likely sponsored by the USA.