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"THE GOVERNMENT HAS CREATED CONGLOMERATE OF BLUFFS, AND THESE BALLOONS ARE BLOWING OUT ONE BY ONE."
July 18 2014
Interview with expert for Regional Research Center, project manager,
Haykak Arshamyan Beginning - Situation, in which Armenia appeared,
deep apathy of population, numerous problems in foreign and domestic
policy, and so on, to put it mildly, is not enviable. Do you see any
practical and non-theoretical way to come out it? - Maybe, a possible
solution would be available for all political and civil forces and
individuals who are thinking about preservation of the statehood,
consolidation by a single platform. I think that it is possible to
establish, because I'm sure that there are people, individuals and
forces in both the society and the opposition, even the government,
who consider this situation of the country unacceptable. - Do you
have any expectation of the "huge" rally in the fall planned by the
Quartet? - To be honest, it was strange for me that when in terms
of internal and external challenges in the country, the situation
is as such that a days and an hour ago, we need to conduct certain
activities and respond quickly, all of a sudden, Armenia's four
political forces decide to leave it for September. I related this
with September 21, at least the ANC holds a rally on this day,
every year, and this year one of the next ones will happen. One or
two huge rallies a year happen, people are going with excitement,
expect for some steps and plans, but ground of accumulated energy
takes place, and they return home disappointed. I am not saying them
to immediately stand up and go for some steps or start breaking up
to the right-and-left, and hold everyday rallies ... but people do
not see plans, they see only criticism and nothing else. In the past
one year, we have seen the following: this government is very bad,
if we come, we would be better, but as to what, how, why, etc., is
not clear. I have the impression that some forces within the Quartet
are every time sending a message to Russia, saying that if we come,
we will serve you better. In the past 20-25 years, people have become
quite wiser, and they see that the major players in today's field do
not have willingness to take over the power and make major changes. -
Do you see any possibility to be cut off from Russia? - I do not see
a matter to be cut off. I see a problem with proper negotiation and
maintaining good-neighborly relations with Russia, which we lost
year-after-year, starting from "Property for Debt" program, which
eventually resulted in Armenia's such terrible dependence on Russia. I
would like to present an observation. I want to talk about artificial
strongly pro-western and pro-Russian. Artificially, faith or a hatred
to any country or people is incited in people. Such a maximalist
attitude to any country or people is not acceptable for me. Now, what
is called pro-western is somehow faded in Armenia, and everybody, all
of a sudden, become apologists of Russia and Putin, they claim that
our salvation is only to be with Russia. I propose keeping track to
recent events in Eastern Ukraine, how Russia gave up the people whom it
had sent to eastern Ukraine to develop separatist sentiments. And the
same would happen to Armenia. Let's consider Russia's initial claims
and policy associated with the Customs Union and look that now, when
Armenian is fully surrendered and is saying that it is ready, even it
is prepared for it with fastest paces, all of a sudden, this process
started continuously to be protracted. Because Russia was following
other objectives: to wreck the Eastern Partnership policy and disrupt
signing the Association Agreement, also bringing the authorities of
Armenia under the sphere of its influence. It successfully solved
all the problems, and now Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
or the Eurasian Economic Union is no longer important for it, they
are already secondary issues, because the events in Ukraine already
crushed Russia's earlier designed global plans. I would like to make
one more consideration. During his last visits, Serzh Sargsyan is
making weird suggestions in all European countries, last week in the
Latin American countries. He suggests to deepen the relations with
Armenia as a bridge between them and the Customs Union. Armenia has
not yet finished these processes, it is not a member of this Union,
and such suggestions are at least funny. All these countries already
have bilateral relations with three countries of the Customs Union.
Why should they be interested in mediated link, especially through
Armenia? Recognition of the Genocide had become the focus of Armenia's
foreign policy since Kocharyan's times, and our entire foreign policy
was based on it. Now, this cornerstone seems to be forgotten, and they
are trying to create and new cornerstone, which truly is a balloon,
to be a connecting link between the Customs Union and the other states
of the world. This is from the series of government's bluffs. In the
last few years, in all areas: economic, social, foreign, and military,
our government has created conglomerate bluffs, and the balloons are
blowing out one-by-one, and this is the next one.
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2014/07/18/166084/
July 18 2014
Interview with expert for Regional Research Center, project manager,
Haykak Arshamyan Beginning - Situation, in which Armenia appeared,
deep apathy of population, numerous problems in foreign and domestic
policy, and so on, to put it mildly, is not enviable. Do you see any
practical and non-theoretical way to come out it? - Maybe, a possible
solution would be available for all political and civil forces and
individuals who are thinking about preservation of the statehood,
consolidation by a single platform. I think that it is possible to
establish, because I'm sure that there are people, individuals and
forces in both the society and the opposition, even the government,
who consider this situation of the country unacceptable. - Do you
have any expectation of the "huge" rally in the fall planned by the
Quartet? - To be honest, it was strange for me that when in terms
of internal and external challenges in the country, the situation
is as such that a days and an hour ago, we need to conduct certain
activities and respond quickly, all of a sudden, Armenia's four
political forces decide to leave it for September. I related this
with September 21, at least the ANC holds a rally on this day,
every year, and this year one of the next ones will happen. One or
two huge rallies a year happen, people are going with excitement,
expect for some steps and plans, but ground of accumulated energy
takes place, and they return home disappointed. I am not saying them
to immediately stand up and go for some steps or start breaking up
to the right-and-left, and hold everyday rallies ... but people do
not see plans, they see only criticism and nothing else. In the past
one year, we have seen the following: this government is very bad,
if we come, we would be better, but as to what, how, why, etc., is
not clear. I have the impression that some forces within the Quartet
are every time sending a message to Russia, saying that if we come,
we will serve you better. In the past 20-25 years, people have become
quite wiser, and they see that the major players in today's field do
not have willingness to take over the power and make major changes. -
Do you see any possibility to be cut off from Russia? - I do not see
a matter to be cut off. I see a problem with proper negotiation and
maintaining good-neighborly relations with Russia, which we lost
year-after-year, starting from "Property for Debt" program, which
eventually resulted in Armenia's such terrible dependence on Russia. I
would like to present an observation. I want to talk about artificial
strongly pro-western and pro-Russian. Artificially, faith or a hatred
to any country or people is incited in people. Such a maximalist
attitude to any country or people is not acceptable for me. Now, what
is called pro-western is somehow faded in Armenia, and everybody, all
of a sudden, become apologists of Russia and Putin, they claim that
our salvation is only to be with Russia. I propose keeping track to
recent events in Eastern Ukraine, how Russia gave up the people whom it
had sent to eastern Ukraine to develop separatist sentiments. And the
same would happen to Armenia. Let's consider Russia's initial claims
and policy associated with the Customs Union and look that now, when
Armenian is fully surrendered and is saying that it is ready, even it
is prepared for it with fastest paces, all of a sudden, this process
started continuously to be protracted. Because Russia was following
other objectives: to wreck the Eastern Partnership policy and disrupt
signing the Association Agreement, also bringing the authorities of
Armenia under the sphere of its influence. It successfully solved
all the problems, and now Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
or the Eurasian Economic Union is no longer important for it, they
are already secondary issues, because the events in Ukraine already
crushed Russia's earlier designed global plans. I would like to make
one more consideration. During his last visits, Serzh Sargsyan is
making weird suggestions in all European countries, last week in the
Latin American countries. He suggests to deepen the relations with
Armenia as a bridge between them and the Customs Union. Armenia has
not yet finished these processes, it is not a member of this Union,
and such suggestions are at least funny. All these countries already
have bilateral relations with three countries of the Customs Union.
Why should they be interested in mediated link, especially through
Armenia? Recognition of the Genocide had become the focus of Armenia's
foreign policy since Kocharyan's times, and our entire foreign policy
was based on it. Now, this cornerstone seems to be forgotten, and they
are trying to create and new cornerstone, which truly is a balloon,
to be a connecting link between the Customs Union and the other states
of the world. This is from the series of government's bluffs. In the
last few years, in all areas: economic, social, foreign, and military,
our government has created conglomerate bluffs, and the balloons are
blowing out one-by-one, and this is the next one.
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2014/07/18/166084/