In today’s Armenian reality, every situation, scenario, decision or action should be viewed in the context of “normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations.” In its current state, these are the dire consequences that will result for Armenia: Armenia’s economic collapse as the Turkish economy will stifle and swallow up Armenia, replacing its manufacturing and agriculture industries with its own; planned, sponsored and systematic relocation of Turks and Azerbaijanis into Armenia, buying properties, participating in elections and claiming villages; relinquishing Armenian rights to “Hai Tahd” and reparations from the Genocide, the Armenian ancestral homeland and weakening the Armenian struggle for liberation; strangling Armenia with a corridor connecting Turkey to Azerbaijan, cutting off Armenia’s trade route to the south and overtaking its major internal transportation routes; and much more.
This normalization initiative, also known as “the Pashinyan Plan,” Pan-Turkism, “land for peace,” “protocols 2.0,” or the “Turkification of Armenia,” has been in place for over 30 years, but more overtly and aggressively implemented after the velvet regime change in 2018 when the ultimate, handpicked, trojan horse was placed into the office of Armenia’s prime minister.
When viewed in this light, everything becomes clear and transparent, and the straightforward and simple Pashinyan timeline is corroborative: come to power through a “populist” agenda with no ideology, national plan or experience; eliminate your opposition and vilify all those who came before you (they also made this very easy); divide the country and then the nation; remove all forms of patriotism and national pride; abandon culture and heritage; normalize defeat and re-instill the victim mentality of a nation subjected to genocide; and create a path for the future under the auspices of those he serves.
Who Pashinyan actually serves is irrelevant. One day it may be the west, the following year the east, but the constant is his support for Turkey and specifically Erdogan’s pan-Turkism agenda to re-establish the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, once again the economic and political interests of superpowers and regional players have aligned to Armenia’s detriment to open borders and establish new pipelines and trade routes to new markets—an acceptable trade for Pashinyan, who is willing to sell Armenian interests to the highest bidder for the illusion of peace.
Armenia’s president no longer a barrier
President Armen Sarkissian’s resignation should be viewed in this context. It is well known that he was elected prior to Pashinyan’s ascension. He did not align himself with Pashinyan, and the My Step coalition and Civil Contract Party seized every opportunity to verbally attack him. He did not or was unable to counter Pashinyan’s policies, specifically regarding selective prosecution, appointments, corruption, capitulation and kowtowing to Turkey and Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Pashinyan established a stranglehold on the current regime with absolute control of the executive branch and police, an overwhelming majority in parliament and the courts. But he did not have control over the President, without whose signature, Armenia’s normalization agreement with Turkey and Azerbaijan could be jeopardized.
The Pashinyan Parliament can now elect a lackey to serve his agenda to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations, Turkey’s expansionist policies of pan-Turkism and Pashinyan’s plan, all of which are aligned. Some questions remain. Did Sarkissian resign because he did not want to be part of Pashinyan’s next level treason? Why didn’t he stay to derail the process by refusing to sign such documents? Did he voluntarily resign or was he coerced, threatened or forced? If so, by Pashinyan, Turkey or someone else? Why is the Armenian media focusing on the President’s potential citizenship issue as a rationale for his resignation? Is this another distraction by the orchestrators? Although his resignation appears to be voluntary, in context and in light of his and Pashinyan’s and Turkey’s past conduct, it smells of foul play. Time will tell, but the bottom line for now is that this potential obstacle has been removed, clearing the way to realize the Pashinyan normalization/Erdogan’s pan-Turkism plan.
Armenian Diaspora and the ARF remain obstacles and targets
The Diaspora, comprised primarily of descendants of Genocide survivors, has a strong patriotic base with a firm belief in justice including reparations and return of Armenian lands occupied by Turkey. Pashinyan and company are not interested in pursuing this cause. They deem it to be part of the past and a nuisance in the way of their agenda. They prefer to move forward with normalization efforts at all cost and are even willing to use the Genocide as a bargaining chip.
It is in this context that Pashinyan wants to control the Diaspora or alternatively weaken it – to stop us from pursuing the Armenian Cause (“Hai Tahd”), and to deter us from continuing to demand justice from Turkey for the Genocide and the return of the ancestral Armenian homeland in Western Armenia. Fortunately, Pashinyan, like those before him, has been unable to achieve this because the multifaceted and powerful Armenian communities in the Diaspora are based on preserving the culture and heritage the Ottoman Empire and Turkey tried to erase. They remain grounded in patriotic ideology embedded in this struggle for justice—concepts counter to Pashinyan’s and Erdogan’s plans.
The Diaspora is an organized and fluid structure with a long and tried history with the majority of its organizations, institutions and structures established by and remaining closely aligned with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), whose ideology is firmly grounded in these same patriotic principles. Thus, the Diaspora in general, and specifically the ARF as a whole, remain obstacles to Pashinyan’s pro-Turkish agenda and are targets for the current regime in Armenia and their international sponsors and supporters.
They have been working to weaken the Diaspora by attacking and/or dividing its strongest component—the ARF. This is not a new tactic, but it’s one that many have tried over the years dating back to the Ottoman Empire and continuously by the Republic of Turkey, throughout the Soviet era and by other superpowers. Now, ever since the velvet regime change, Pashinyan and his various sponsors and supporters have adopted the same goal with slightly varying yet more aggressive approaches to create schisms and divisions.
They first targeted the ARF leadership in their attempts to divide the ranks from the leadership and simultaneously tried to drive a wedge between ARF in Armenia and the rest of the organization to cripple the party in the homeland. However, their real target was the ARF worldwide organization, and their goal was also to create artificial divisions within its diasporan structures, specifically, those who support the ARF in the homeland and those who prioritize the Diaspora; and those who view themselves as “modern” and “western” thinkers focused on false internal “democratic” processes; and those who remain traditionalists grounded in revolutionary principles.
They attempted to take advantage of and exploit minor internal differences, utilizing local agendas or preferences in sowing the seeds of doubt, division and separatism. Most of their efforts were in vain, however, true to human nature and individual weaknesses; some took the bait and unknowingly became complicit in the Pashinyan plan. Unfortunately, the ongoing barrage continues and will most likely increase, as Pashinyan and his partners will even try to infect Diaspora institutions and organizations.
Meanwhile Erdogan and his sidekick Aliyev are pleasantly watching their co-conspirator(s) in Armenia and the Diaspora implement their plan to re-establish a pan-Turkic empire across Armenia, and at the expense of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian nation.
A unified front armed with the truth and in pursuit of justice
We have to analyze and view today’s reality in the context of the pan-Turkic agenda. We have to realize that it is the same as the Pashinyan plan, supported by superpowers and regional players, each with their own interests.
Once we realize this and agree Pashinyan is the trojan horse and the main catalyst to implementing their plan, we can properly identify other actors, agendas and initiatives and understand how they serve that plan. With this knowledge, we can avoid falling victim to and inadvertently or unknowingly supporting their nefarious agenda. More importantly, we can anticipate their moves and counter their advances. Finally, as a united nation from Armenia to the Diaspora, we can present a unified front to stop them and take proactive steps to further our agenda based on our national interest and priorities, the first of which is to save the homeland and the nation.
Open your eyes. See and understand what’s happening. Realize we’re stronger together and that we can overcome this. Join the fight for survival and the struggle for justice for the Armenian people starting with securing Armenia’s borders in Gegharkunik and Syunik and keeping Hai Tahd alive and part of the national agenda instead of trading it away on the negotiating table. And then together we can continue with the liberation of Artsakh and end with the establishment of a free, independent and united Armenian homeland based on the Treaty of Sèvres as identified in the ARF program, however long it may take.
Garo Madenlian
Latest posts by Garo Madenlian (see all)
- A New Year with a Unified Front for Artsakh - January 3, 2023
- Pashinyan, Pan-Turkism and Normalization with Turkey - February 2, 2022
- The ARF Oath and its Revolutionary Tactics, Methods and Operations - January 4, 2022
armenia failed to save armenians whose suffer in middle east especially in lebanon 30 years donation of diaspora money wasted most of diaspora armenians will not donate armenia untill armenia run by diaspora armenians
Many fled Syria and went to Armenia. In Lebanon they are safe.
Bilateral relations are meant to be a give and take, under normal circumstances. In other words, it should be based on equality and mutual benefits, a win-win situation, so to speak, for both parties, if equal conditions are present. But foreign relations of a country, should also be based on principle, apart from realpolitik, both of which should go hand in hand for a country’s national interests, and which should not be compromised.
Since Pashinyan squandered every opportunity, and lost Armenia its powerful bargaining positions in the last war, he is now negotiating from a position of weakness, that will not bring Armenia any benefits, but entail further losses. I am afraid, that a 21st-century version of the unequal treaties will be imposed on Armenia, adding insult to injury, by Turkey and Azerbaijan, with the encouragement of Russia and the West. Unequal treaties already exist with Russia, when it comes to Armenia’s security and economy. Any agreement with the two archenemies, could be much worse, if Pashinyan concedes even further to their maximalist demands and compromises Armenia’s territorial integrity itself.
People who don’t live in Armenia or know anything about day to day environment of the region don’t get to write such articles. Sorry, a bit too hysterical to my taste.
At this point, Iran joining the EAEU and linking closer to Russia is the best thing for us. As long as we remain on good terms with Georgia, then we can have an Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia trade route of some sort. This is already likely to happen.
“And then together we can continue with the liberation of Artsakh and end with the establishment of a free, independent and united Armenian homeland based on the Treaty of Sèvres as identified in the ARF program, however long it may take”
Given the perpetual state of weakness Armenia is in (low and emigrating population, militarily behind, etc), how exactly does this author envision taking back Karabakh, much less enforcing a treaty over 100 years old against a (comparatively) powerful country/alliance? Is he wanting military action, especially against Turkey itself? Calls to the diaspora to emigrate back? Some other nation (Russia, US, etc) to try to come in and diplomatically call on Turkey or Azerbaijan give up their internationally recognized lands?
Please understand that I’m not trying to be snarky or dismissive; I really am wondering at the strategy or tactics to achieve these goals.
The first war was won by Armenians in Artsahk. The Azeri soldiers didn’t have the will to win. I was there working and and know this personally. The recent war was won by Azeris only because of Turkey’s Generals and the advanced weapons they brought to the Azeris.
(BTW archeologists have found artifacts in Artsahk are Armenian and date back to 5000 years ago.)
What internationally recognized lands? That’s a myth! Central Asian Turkish terrorists and criminal pseudo-Russian Soviets raided the Armenian homeland and divided it between themselves. Then they created the artificial state of pseudo-Turkish Azerbaijan, a gas station disguised as a country, 104 years ago in 1918 post WWI on occupied Armenian homeland for the first time in the history of the region for the homeless Caucasian Muslim Tatars (renamed to Azerbaijan only in 1936 despite Iranian protest having provinces with same name) as a Turkish outpost in the South Caucasus to pursue fascist pan-Turkic agenda and as a base for Soviet invasion into Persia and the Middle East. They then illegally took parts of Armenian territories, Artsakh (“karabakh”), Nakhijevan (“Naxchivan”) in particular, and handed them over to the criminal artificial Azerbaijan. Then these criminals created fake treaties between themselves to enforce their theft.
All the treaties created between these criminals to rob Armenians of their homeland were created at a time when they themselves were not officially recognized as states by the international communities thus making all these fake treaties non-binding, illegal and null and void. That is why the Turkish Islamo-fascist terrorist-in-chief Er-dog-an is so anxious to trap the current dysfunctional and incompetent Armenian leadership into a fake “Peace Treaty” to seal the deal on these fake treaties to make them official. This has been the dream of the terrorist Turkish government for a century already AND rest-assured Armenians are not going to fall for that. Eastern Turkey is occupied Western Armenia (90% of total Armenian landmass) AND Azerbaijan is criminal an artificial state invented on occupied Armenian territories. I guess any criminal state can claim anything if they are important to the west geopolitically and if they have oil & gas resources the double-talking and spineless west can exploit!
All good questions that require further analysis prior to implementing a plan of action, which should also remain flexible and fluid as the situation and the various players’ interests can change rapidly, as we saw with what happened to the Soviet Union. The important thing today is to understand the context of the Armenian reality in relation to the current regime’s normalization efforts with Turkey and the dire consequences that can result.
As for the specific questions… the last paragraph is a rallying cry and in very general terms lists some of the priorities. The sentence right before the one quoted, states “…starting with” and references securing Armenia’s borders and keeping the Armenian Cause (Hai Tad) alive; immediate priorities. The next sentence begins with “And then” and in even more general terms references the long-term goals involving Artsakh and Western Armenia and ends with “however long it may take” to be prepared for the long struggle ahead, and to not give up. Finally, the Treaty of Sevres comment is in reference to the borders of a unified Armenia and the return of historic Armenian lands as part of the long-term goals, without addressing the enforceability of the Treaty.
Response to A
I have to disagree with you even though you say you were there. The artificial state of Azerbaijan did not win the war. They bought and paid for the war with petrodollars just like they paid for everything else they got. The artificial Azerbaijani state neither had a functioning government nor an army for 44 days. They were both turned over to the NATO member terrorist Turkish state. The war was planned in advance, conducted and dictated by the terrorist Turkish defense ministry. Watch all the available videos prior to the start of the war and you will see that it is the terrorist Turkish defense minister who is warning the Armenians and not the artificial Azerbaijani defense minister. The terrorist Turkish defense minister had become the spokesperson for criminal artificial Azerbaijan. Why would terrorist Turkey having nothing to do with this conflict and with no provocations whatsoever from Armenia towards terrorist Turkey would militarily get involved in this conflict on the enemy side? Because they were the ones in total command of the operation and not dysfunctional and incompetent Azerbaijanis who could not even fly a fighter jet.
Furthermore, terrorist Turkish leadership had recruited thousands of Syrian ISIS terrorist mercenaries from Northern Syria, at a time when they were no longer needed there, had promised them a handsome payment of $1500/month paid for by Azerbaijani petrodollars, transplanted into the conflict zone a place where they had never heard of, a bunch of Sunni Muslim ISIS terrorists not knowing they will be fighting for Shia Azerbaijanis whom they consider infidels and apostates. Add to that terrorist force all the military assistance from terrorist Pakistan and deadly weapons supplied to artificial Azerbaijan by Belarus, Ukraine and modern and sophisticated long-range missiles and kamikaze UAVs (drones) supplied to the enemy by morally-bankrupt and hypocritical Zionist state of Israel worth over five billion dollars. As you can see, the artificial state Azerbaijan did NOT win this war. It was handed to them by these terrorists I mentioned and incompetent and coward Azerbaijanis paid for it with their oil money! Despite this combined overwhelming force, Azerbaijan lost 5-6 times as many fighters as did Armenia. We lost 3,800 to 5,000 and Azerbaijanis lost 25,000 to 30,000 and this is according to their former top military leader whom they discharged of his position at the start of the war because they considered him pro-Russian and replaced him with a pro-Turkish one. Azerbaijan on its own could never have won this war. A proof of this fact is when they tried a few years back in the April of 2016 with all their fire power and failed miserably. After nearly thirty years of Azerbaijani militarization spending annually more than the entire Armenia’s annual state budget, the entire disastrous operation took less than a week!
As far as the first Armenian War of Liberation in the 1990s is concerned, the Azerbaijani devastating and humiliating defeat had nothing to do with their will to fight or not. Instead, it had everything to do with the Armenian unity, dedication, decisiveness, organizational and military operational superiority despite Azerbaijan having 3-4 times the manpower and 25-30 times the firepower. Also, this war was more of a conventional war in which the Armenians exceled but the 2020 war was more of a modern technological war which Armenians did not sufficiently and properly prepare for and that without direct involvement by NATO member terrorist Turkey using NATO supplied weapons and advanced technology supplied by two-faced Israel the outcome of this war would also have been the same as the first war. Last but not least, Russia knowingly turned a blind eye on the terrorist Turkish presence in Armenian’s backyard without getting involved in the war to defend its Armenian ally until when the time was ripe for the Russian occupying troops disguised as peacekeepers to move into the region from where they were absent (kicked out) for thirty years since the dissolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union!
You are obviously an evil Turkish troll hoping to weaken Armenian resolve.
Armenians just need to remain steadfast on their current course.
The author assumes that the president of Armenia is a 5 year old kid who could be mollycoddled into resigning from his position. Is it not evidently clear that he resigned from his post when his second citizenship in a place notorious worldwide for money laundering was found out and he was caught red handed
I agree with the previous comment by K, however I believe the author of this article is a great realist. Our deep knowledge of Turkey’s crimes against us throughout history should also be the reason for Armenians to override Pashiniyan. People who believe he is selling us to Turkey and Azerbaijan are right. If Pashinyan’s plan goes forward, Armenia will be eaten alive. Armenians must gather in the streets of Yerevan to demonstrate loudly every day into the night. This will make the government very afraid.
You are already eaten by Russia alive
Iran took some steps to support Armenia, Admittedly not enough, but your neighbor should see some reciprocation from Armenia. Strengthening multidimensional relationships in trade, infrastructure, defense, cultural, etc. is the first step. Iran took the first few steps and patiently await for a sign from our brothers and sister in Armenia and Armenian government to continue our efforts to support Armenia in all fronts. We are standing beside you in thick and thin, in time of need and time of plenty. We see you as a long-term partner as a long-term and historical ally as our blood brothers and sisters.