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Ashot Manucharyan: Russia should leave existing play field to compete
with West successfully
Interview with Ashot Manucharyan, member of the Karabakh Committee,
ex-interior minister
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Monday, August 20, 18:58
Putin's project of Eurasian Union aroused many talks, mainly
contradictory, in the analytical society. Would you share the opinion
on Armenia's place in that large-scale project given the latest
Putin-Sargsyan negotiations?
The project on creation of the Eurasian Union is of great significance
to Russia, and Moscow will use all its opportunities in the
post-Soviet space to create a closely integrated community.
On the other hand, Armenia has always been an extremely important
geopolitical point for Russia and other world players in terms of
consolidation of their positions in the Caucasus, which has been
called a Eurasian communication corridor until very recently. It is
very important that the Caucasus is a neutral corridor in Eurasia
outside the territories of the global players - Russia at the north
and Iran at the south. Consequently, possession of this neutral
corridor, including Armenia, is still the dominant idea in the goals
of global players interested in Eurasia.
Many think that the reason of "inviting" Armenia to the Eurasian
Union is Yerevan's drifting towards the West...
The new geopolitical aspects connected with the region are strongly
intensifying today amid the latest developments and impulses. In this
context, Armenia is extremely important for Moscow, especially given
the fact that over the past few years Yerevan has effectively been
drifting towards the West, though the drifting has mostly been
stimulated by the West itself.
Against this background, one has to state that the West is much more
successful than Russia. Consequently, some moment of truth for Russia
has come. Therefore, the issue of Armenia's admission to the Customs
Code and further to the Eurasian Union is like a litmus paper saying
"yes" or "no" to the Russian presence in Armenia.
What processes do confirm the success and prevalence of the Western
influence in Armenia over the Russian influence? Where do they lead
to?
The West is much more successful due to its high technological
effectiveness. As regards all tangible, the West is inherently more
successful than Russia, which has this tangible in its hands. In
Armenia it is displayed through Moscow's possession of strategically
important facilities. Russia should leave the existing play field for
another political dimension if it really wants to compete with the
West.
Do the efforts to create Eurasian Union stem from the abovementioned logic?
The political state elites of the post-Soviet space are shot through
with western civilization. People in these countries live to steal as
much as possible and to get as much pleasure as possible. Creation of
consumer and force societies based on financial power is the key
motive of the West's work. Consequently, all those governing the
post-Soviet countries are inherently Occidentalists. At the same time,
Russia is really one of the most amazing formations in the modern
world. On the one hand, the Russian current elites, which are not
connected with the nature of Russia as such, are certainly
pro-Western. Russian people are inherently carriers of absolutely
different civilization. They are capable to show the way to the
humanity to get out of the hole we all found ourselves as a result of
living by the recipes of Western civilization. The latter has already
played its role, in which there were both flaws and serious
achievements. However, the Western civilization has already been
exhausted and should inevitably be replaced with another one.
What are Armenia's prospects for membership in the Eurasian Union?
Armenia has already made the choice of the security system, which is
certainly Russia. This choice is connected with numerous problems, but
there is no alternative, at least today. "Many experts think that in
today's realities the most preferable and promising is the continued
drift towards the West, but they forget that we get the security
system as a result of interaction with Russia. Development plan
offered by the West is unacceptable to Armenia. The West offers us to
eat more and to have an opportunity to eat more. But, in any case, we
will lack big science, strong industry and high-quality education.
The Eurasian Union as a chance for breakthrough for Armenia and all
other beneficiaries. It is necessary to transform this project into a
civilization project for the citizens of the post-Soviet countries to
make use of it.
The project on creation of the Eurasian Union is of great
significance to Russia, and Moscow will use all its opportunities in
the post-Soviet space to create a closely integrated community.
óan Armenia claim membership of the Customs Union having no common
borders with Russia?
There are technologies solutions to that problem, but I would not like
to discuss them now. Soviet people killed the only possible
alternative to the Western civilization. The collapse of the USSR was
not at all a geopolitical disaster; it was a much bigger disaster. All
the statements like "Socialism is the limb of the devil" are nothing
but "talks in favor of the poor". We are people of the post-Soviet
space and we are still carriers of very important principles and
ideas. We are being made standard, western people, but we are still
different. Therefore, if we manage to work out anything new within the
frames of the idea of creation of the Eurasian space, we will be in
the avant- garde".
with West successfully
Interview with Ashot Manucharyan, member of the Karabakh Committee,
ex-interior minister
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Monday, August 20, 18:58
Putin's project of Eurasian Union aroused many talks, mainly
contradictory, in the analytical society. Would you share the opinion
on Armenia's place in that large-scale project given the latest
Putin-Sargsyan negotiations?
The project on creation of the Eurasian Union is of great significance
to Russia, and Moscow will use all its opportunities in the
post-Soviet space to create a closely integrated community.
On the other hand, Armenia has always been an extremely important
geopolitical point for Russia and other world players in terms of
consolidation of their positions in the Caucasus, which has been
called a Eurasian communication corridor until very recently. It is
very important that the Caucasus is a neutral corridor in Eurasia
outside the territories of the global players - Russia at the north
and Iran at the south. Consequently, possession of this neutral
corridor, including Armenia, is still the dominant idea in the goals
of global players interested in Eurasia.
Many think that the reason of "inviting" Armenia to the Eurasian
Union is Yerevan's drifting towards the West...
The new geopolitical aspects connected with the region are strongly
intensifying today amid the latest developments and impulses. In this
context, Armenia is extremely important for Moscow, especially given
the fact that over the past few years Yerevan has effectively been
drifting towards the West, though the drifting has mostly been
stimulated by the West itself.
Against this background, one has to state that the West is much more
successful than Russia. Consequently, some moment of truth for Russia
has come. Therefore, the issue of Armenia's admission to the Customs
Code and further to the Eurasian Union is like a litmus paper saying
"yes" or "no" to the Russian presence in Armenia.
What processes do confirm the success and prevalence of the Western
influence in Armenia over the Russian influence? Where do they lead
to?
The West is much more successful due to its high technological
effectiveness. As regards all tangible, the West is inherently more
successful than Russia, which has this tangible in its hands. In
Armenia it is displayed through Moscow's possession of strategically
important facilities. Russia should leave the existing play field for
another political dimension if it really wants to compete with the
West.
Do the efforts to create Eurasian Union stem from the abovementioned logic?
The political state elites of the post-Soviet space are shot through
with western civilization. People in these countries live to steal as
much as possible and to get as much pleasure as possible. Creation of
consumer and force societies based on financial power is the key
motive of the West's work. Consequently, all those governing the
post-Soviet countries are inherently Occidentalists. At the same time,
Russia is really one of the most amazing formations in the modern
world. On the one hand, the Russian current elites, which are not
connected with the nature of Russia as such, are certainly
pro-Western. Russian people are inherently carriers of absolutely
different civilization. They are capable to show the way to the
humanity to get out of the hole we all found ourselves as a result of
living by the recipes of Western civilization. The latter has already
played its role, in which there were both flaws and serious
achievements. However, the Western civilization has already been
exhausted and should inevitably be replaced with another one.
What are Armenia's prospects for membership in the Eurasian Union?
Armenia has already made the choice of the security system, which is
certainly Russia. This choice is connected with numerous problems, but
there is no alternative, at least today. "Many experts think that in
today's realities the most preferable and promising is the continued
drift towards the West, but they forget that we get the security
system as a result of interaction with Russia. Development plan
offered by the West is unacceptable to Armenia. The West offers us to
eat more and to have an opportunity to eat more. But, in any case, we
will lack big science, strong industry and high-quality education.
The Eurasian Union as a chance for breakthrough for Armenia and all
other beneficiaries. It is necessary to transform this project into a
civilization project for the citizens of the post-Soviet countries to
make use of it.
The project on creation of the Eurasian Union is of great
significance to Russia, and Moscow will use all its opportunities in
the post-Soviet space to create a closely integrated community.
óan Armenia claim membership of the Customs Union having no common
borders with Russia?
There are technologies solutions to that problem, but I would not like
to discuss them now. Soviet people killed the only possible
alternative to the Western civilization. The collapse of the USSR was
not at all a geopolitical disaster; it was a much bigger disaster. All
the statements like "Socialism is the limb of the devil" are nothing
but "talks in favor of the poor". We are people of the post-Soviet
space and we are still carriers of very important principles and
ideas. We are being made standard, western people, but we are still
different. Therefore, if we manage to work out anything new within the
frames of the idea of creation of the Eurasian space, we will be in
the avant- garde".