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ARMENIA AS "SHIELD" AGAINST ISLAMIC INVASION?
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 18, 2011
In connection with the "Arab spring" that seems endless, Turkey's
recent behavior has been considerably worrying the Western
civilization, which now faces the threat of Muslim expansion.
Following French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the region, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, as expected, started an
official visit, too. If we also add to this the upcoming visit of
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Moscow, it turns out that the
U.S., EU and Russia have started preparations not only for their own
elections, but also for the regional ones.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Intensification of diplomatic ties seems justified in
this case and primarily proceeds from the interests of major players in
the region. Both the U.S. and Europe are concerned about who will come
to power in Armenia. Things are clear with Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev
will remain in power for long, but hardly will he be happy; Georgia
is fairly predictable too, whereas things are a bit complicated with
Armenia. It's not about the unpredictability of Armenian home policy,
which, in fact, is quite transparent and predictable. It's about the
outside world. It's so happened that Armenian-Turkish relations,
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the politically weighty
Armenian Diaspora can be a challenge greater than construction of
pipelines. After all, gas and pipe route can be negotiated, while it's
much harder to come to terms with the Armenian Diaspora, not only
in the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition and Armenian-Turkish
relations. Actually the problem rests upon the economic isolation of
Armenia, which seems to have no end. As for Russia, she, as always,
has her own view of things, expressing it rather roughly, though to the
point: "There is no getting away from us". There is a grain of truth in
these words: purely geographically, Russia borders the South Caucasus
and in case of unfavorable development can immediately introduce her
"peacekeepers" into the country, while neither the U.S. nor Europe can
do the same. This is, of course, good for Armenia on the one hand, but
on the other - not really, because all the by-products and illnesses of
the Russian state directly affect the RA, unfortunately. And in order
to reduce these by-products to a minimum, senior U.S. and European
officials, not to mention the president of France, visit Yerevan from
time to time.
As mentioned above, among the issues discussed in Yerevan there
can be singled out one that has become a trouble for the EU and the
U.S.. It is the Armenian-Turkish relations, or rather the absence
thereof. In connection with the "Arab spring" that seems endless,
Turkey's recent behavior has been considerably worrying the Western
civilization, which now faces the threat of Muslim expansion. So,
quite understandable is the tough stance of France and Germany
in preventing Turkey's EU membership. Armenia, by that logic, can
somewhat reduce Turkey's chances of EU membership, so long as Ankara
is unlikely to fully restore diplomatic relations. Parenthetically,
this also true about Yerevan. Nevertheless, one should remember that
not everyone in Europe has realized the danger of Islamic penetration,
and Sweden, Britain, Spain, Italy and Finland are still supporting
the Turkish government, despite the fact that the number of Muslims
in these countries is growing exponentially and the likelihood of
terrorist attacks becomes greater.
Turkish daily Vatan reports that at one time there was drawn
up a secret action plan on Turkey's accession to the EU, before
the presidency of Cyprus, which now threatens to veto Turkey's
membership issue. Turkey also does not leave this move of Cyrus
unanswered and threatens to break off relations with the EU, should
Cyprus take presidency in 2012. What the EU leaders will arrive at
is difficult to say: decisions are made by consensus. The rotation
principle cannot be changed as there is the Charter, but to quarrel
with Turkey is unprofitable, too. Nevertheless, we believe that
common sense prevails in the EU, and all the "politically correct"
statements of Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt and EU Commissioner
for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Mr. Štefan Fule
will not seriously affect the attitude of France and Germany. These
countries are concerned about saving the euro and the European Union in
general as a single economic space, which, however, does not prevent
them from shielding themselves against Islamic expansion.
Under these circumstances Armenia may receive some benefits, but to
serve as a Christian shield against Islam is not so beneficial: this
position of a "shield" will lead to no good. And Christian countries
are "renowned" for leaving their loyal friends as unnecessary.
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 18, 2011
In connection with the "Arab spring" that seems endless, Turkey's
recent behavior has been considerably worrying the Western
civilization, which now faces the threat of Muslim expansion.
Following French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the region, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, as expected, started an
official visit, too. If we also add to this the upcoming visit of
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Moscow, it turns out that the
U.S., EU and Russia have started preparations not only for their own
elections, but also for the regional ones.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Intensification of diplomatic ties seems justified in
this case and primarily proceeds from the interests of major players in
the region. Both the U.S. and Europe are concerned about who will come
to power in Armenia. Things are clear with Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev
will remain in power for long, but hardly will he be happy; Georgia
is fairly predictable too, whereas things are a bit complicated with
Armenia. It's not about the unpredictability of Armenian home policy,
which, in fact, is quite transparent and predictable. It's about the
outside world. It's so happened that Armenian-Turkish relations,
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the politically weighty
Armenian Diaspora can be a challenge greater than construction of
pipelines. After all, gas and pipe route can be negotiated, while it's
much harder to come to terms with the Armenian Diaspora, not only
in the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition and Armenian-Turkish
relations. Actually the problem rests upon the economic isolation of
Armenia, which seems to have no end. As for Russia, she, as always,
has her own view of things, expressing it rather roughly, though to the
point: "There is no getting away from us". There is a grain of truth in
these words: purely geographically, Russia borders the South Caucasus
and in case of unfavorable development can immediately introduce her
"peacekeepers" into the country, while neither the U.S. nor Europe can
do the same. This is, of course, good for Armenia on the one hand, but
on the other - not really, because all the by-products and illnesses of
the Russian state directly affect the RA, unfortunately. And in order
to reduce these by-products to a minimum, senior U.S. and European
officials, not to mention the president of France, visit Yerevan from
time to time.
As mentioned above, among the issues discussed in Yerevan there
can be singled out one that has become a trouble for the EU and the
U.S.. It is the Armenian-Turkish relations, or rather the absence
thereof. In connection with the "Arab spring" that seems endless,
Turkey's recent behavior has been considerably worrying the Western
civilization, which now faces the threat of Muslim expansion. So,
quite understandable is the tough stance of France and Germany
in preventing Turkey's EU membership. Armenia, by that logic, can
somewhat reduce Turkey's chances of EU membership, so long as Ankara
is unlikely to fully restore diplomatic relations. Parenthetically,
this also true about Yerevan. Nevertheless, one should remember that
not everyone in Europe has realized the danger of Islamic penetration,
and Sweden, Britain, Spain, Italy and Finland are still supporting
the Turkish government, despite the fact that the number of Muslims
in these countries is growing exponentially and the likelihood of
terrorist attacks becomes greater.
Turkish daily Vatan reports that at one time there was drawn
up a secret action plan on Turkey's accession to the EU, before
the presidency of Cyprus, which now threatens to veto Turkey's
membership issue. Turkey also does not leave this move of Cyrus
unanswered and threatens to break off relations with the EU, should
Cyprus take presidency in 2012. What the EU leaders will arrive at
is difficult to say: decisions are made by consensus. The rotation
principle cannot be changed as there is the Charter, but to quarrel
with Turkey is unprofitable, too. Nevertheless, we believe that
common sense prevails in the EU, and all the "politically correct"
statements of Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt and EU Commissioner
for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Mr. Štefan Fule
will not seriously affect the attitude of France and Germany. These
countries are concerned about saving the euro and the European Union in
general as a single economic space, which, however, does not prevent
them from shielding themselves against Islamic expansion.
Under these circumstances Armenia may receive some benefits, but to
serve as a Christian shield against Islam is not so beneficial: this
position of a "shield" will lead to no good. And Christian countries
are "renowned" for leaving their loyal friends as unnecessary.