Tweet
Trouble in the Neighborhood: ISIS "no threat" to Caucasus experts say
SOCIETY | 04.09.14 | 15:43
http://armenianow.com/society/56593/isis_syria_chechnya_edward_nalbandyan
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
An "Islamic State" terrorist group video on the internet where they
threaten to 'liberate' the Caucasus and Chechnya with 'Allah's mercy',
has triggered various interpretations, especially that the group,
ISIS, has announced about creating an Islamic Caliphate on the
territory of Iraq and Syria.
Expert of Iran studies Mame Amiryan says that it is very important for
a Muslim to convert another to his faith, but these Islamist groupings
have modified the Jihad and turned it into Islamizing by force.
"So, if a person does not want to convert to Islam, he is killed, thus
he will either die or convert to Islam. Today's terrorist
organizations are a part of Al Qaida. After the Syrian war they
separated from Al Qaida and became a separate terrorist organization.
When Assad's governmental forces started recording success, those
terrorist groupings changed their directions toward Iraq, and after
crossing the Syrian border Shangal region Yezdis received the first
blow, where their mass slaughter started," Amiryan told ArmeniaNow.
What is the threat of these events in the Middle East for Armenia?
According to analysts, this cannot but have an indirect or direct
impact on the South Caucasus, on Armenia which is about 700 kilometers
(435 miles) from Iraq.
"I think that we simply do not feel the danger, but it is existent.
The danger is conditioned firstly by the fact that Armenia's neighbors
are involved in this conflict. Specifically, it is about Turkey and
about Iran. And if we suppose that it is constantly spoken about
Iraq's possible fragmentation, about Iraq dividing into pieces,
naturally if the supposed Kurdish state is created, then it will be a
direct threat for Iran and Turkey's territorial integrity. It sounds
impossible, but there still is the threat," expert of Eastern studies
Vardan Voskanyan told 1st Channel.
Amiryan is skeptical about the terrorists' announcements about
occupying Caucasus and Chechnya saying "Russian security works very
well, and it will not allow foreign forces' to interfere. I can say
the same about Armenia. Armenia's national security gives us grounds
to believe there is no threat. Being a small and a compact country we
are protected from four sides by the Armenian and Russian Armies."
On September 2 in the NA foreign relations committee Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan had a closed discussion with the MPs of all NA
factions. To the question whether Armenia should expect dangerous
foreign political developments, the foreign minister said, "There is
nothing dangerous and if there was need to inform the media about our
conversation it wouldn't have been closed."
SOCIETY | 04.09.14 | 15:43
http://armenianow.com/society/56593/isis_syria_chechnya_edward_nalbandyan
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
An "Islamic State" terrorist group video on the internet where they
threaten to 'liberate' the Caucasus and Chechnya with 'Allah's mercy',
has triggered various interpretations, especially that the group,
ISIS, has announced about creating an Islamic Caliphate on the
territory of Iraq and Syria.
Expert of Iran studies Mame Amiryan says that it is very important for
a Muslim to convert another to his faith, but these Islamist groupings
have modified the Jihad and turned it into Islamizing by force.
"So, if a person does not want to convert to Islam, he is killed, thus
he will either die or convert to Islam. Today's terrorist
organizations are a part of Al Qaida. After the Syrian war they
separated from Al Qaida and became a separate terrorist organization.
When Assad's governmental forces started recording success, those
terrorist groupings changed their directions toward Iraq, and after
crossing the Syrian border Shangal region Yezdis received the first
blow, where their mass slaughter started," Amiryan told ArmeniaNow.
What is the threat of these events in the Middle East for Armenia?
According to analysts, this cannot but have an indirect or direct
impact on the South Caucasus, on Armenia which is about 700 kilometers
(435 miles) from Iraq.
"I think that we simply do not feel the danger, but it is existent.
The danger is conditioned firstly by the fact that Armenia's neighbors
are involved in this conflict. Specifically, it is about Turkey and
about Iran. And if we suppose that it is constantly spoken about
Iraq's possible fragmentation, about Iraq dividing into pieces,
naturally if the supposed Kurdish state is created, then it will be a
direct threat for Iran and Turkey's territorial integrity. It sounds
impossible, but there still is the threat," expert of Eastern studies
Vardan Voskanyan told 1st Channel.
Amiryan is skeptical about the terrorists' announcements about
occupying Caucasus and Chechnya saying "Russian security works very
well, and it will not allow foreign forces' to interfere. I can say
the same about Armenia. Armenia's national security gives us grounds
to believe there is no threat. Being a small and a compact country we
are protected from four sides by the Armenian and Russian Armies."
On September 2 in the NA foreign relations committee Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan had a closed discussion with the MPs of all NA
factions. To the question whether Armenia should expect dangerous
foreign political developments, the foreign minister said, "There is
nothing dangerous and if there was need to inform the media about our
conversation it wouldn't have been closed."