WASHINGTON, DC – The Biden administration has called for just $24 million in US assistance to Armenia in the White House Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget proposal released today – $21 million less than what Congress allocated and the President approved for FY 2022 just weeks ago, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“We are disappointed that President Biden’s annual budget – released in the wake of a government watchdog report documenting over $164,000,000 in US military aid to Azerbaijan – flat-lines US aid to Armenia at just over $24 million and fails to include any specific dollar amount for US assistance to Artsakh,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “We look to our Congressional allies, coalition partners and community activists to work through the foreign aid appropriations process to dramatically boost US aid numbers for both Artsakh and Armenia.”
Similar to his budget request for FY2022, the President’s FY2023 budget includes $23,405,000 in foreign aid and $600,000 in military assistance to Armenia. A separate line item in the budget calls for $6,050,000 in International Narcotics and Law Enforcement spending in Armenia. Following broad-based Congressional outreach by the ANCA and the Armenian American community last year, the final FY2022 aid package for Armenia was increased to $45 million and included an additional $2 million in US demining assistance for those affected by the 2020 Azerbaijan and Turkey-led attacks on Armenia and Artsakh. The ANCA has already issued calls on the White House and Congress for $50 million in US aid to Artsakh, to help resettle the over 100,000 indigenous Artsakh Armenians ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan in 2020.
By comparison, President Biden requested approximately $9.7 million in US assistance to Azerbaijan for FY2023. This does not include additional funds Azerbaijan receives from the Department of Defense under their Section 333 (Capacity Building) programs. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report release in March, Azerbaijan has received over $164 million in US aid under the Section 333 account, the impact of which the Departments of State and Defense failed to disclose to Congress, as required by Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The ANCA has called on the Biden administration to enforce Section 907 restrictions on US aid to Azerbaijan in its fullest capacity.
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Honestly what did Armenian Americans or the diaspora expect? Joe Biden’s Super PAC is run by a REGISTERED agent of Azerbaijan.
Stop thinking a Democrat president is going to “save” small countries like Armenia. Evaluate candidates by the policies they propose, the friends they keep, and their past votes.
Well said Greg. I’m tired of Armenians in American thinking that Democratic Party is more likely to help out Armenia than Republican Party.
Under the Russian influence and “protection “ how this money supposed to be spend? Is it going to be a londromat again? They are going to spend it on Russian ammunition that doesn’t work?
Genuine question: how much does Russia contribute annually to Armenia? To be specific, currency amounts (not bases, military sales, etc)?
Is your question how much money does the Russian govt give to Armenia?
Why do we need to ask for handouts? This isn’t free money, there’s always strings attached.
I would love to see Armenia move away from constantly asking for money.
Why would this artificial terrorist Azerbaijan need any kind of financial assistance from the United States in the first place when they have an annual oil and gas revenues in tens of billions of dollars? It makes no sense unless it is bribe money. If these pseudo-Turkish Azerbaijani thieves had any dignity they would not request or require any financial assistance from the United States because that amount is a drop in the bucket for them and even if they were allocated such assistance they would show their appreciation and decline and allow that money be given to others who truly and desperately need it the most. But of course they won’t because they lack integrity and they would not only and gladly take that money like a bunch of pan handlers but that they would also turn the disparity in financial aid into a political tool.
I don’t think this is a democrat vs. republican issue at all. This is all about politics regardless of who is in office. If the United States government, democrat or republican, and for whatever reason such as the Armenian stance on the Russian policies in the region, perceives the Armenian leadership as pro-Russian or pro-Western they would show their disapproval or appreciation respectively by the amount of financial assistance they allocate for them. If they allocate financial aid several times the amount Armenia badly needs to a terrorist cesspool that not only does not need that assistance but that it will use that aid to invest in more deadly weapons and one that in reality should be punished for its terrorist activities instead of being rewarded by such assistance then it clearly shows that the aid they get is nothing but bribe money for their stand against Russian policies in the region. Remember that the closest ally of this artificial terrorist state is the NATO member terrorist Turkey and naturally their foreign policies are more aligned with foreign policies of terrorist Turkey and therefore more aligned with foreign policies of the West. Add to that the fact that Western energy companies are heavily invested in the Caspian oil and gas and they would use their influence on their governments to show restraint and treat this artificial terrorist state as a valuable ally for their own financial gains. This is all about the enemy of my enemy is my friend dirty politics!
US Policy always will be anti armenian if we cant close russian millitary bases and stop good relations with Iran dont you see Islamic kosovo and bosnia more important than christian armenians even while armenians suffer in rich gulf arab countries but meanwhile they west sell al advanced weapons to them.
very well said . . I wonder what Trump would have given them by their constant devotion to him !
Well, maybe it is not a drop in the bucket then. Maybe their annual oil revenues are not in ‘tens of billions’.
Agreed.
Be independent and self-sufficient. Your trade surplus with Georgia and Iran is increasing. Just a hydropower project located at your southern border will generate ~$20 M a year energy that will be connected to Persian Gulf’s Grid in 2023. Why do you need handout? Joint-venture for establishment of a car manufacturing factory will have an annual revenue of ~ $ 35 M. It is proposed and example of that was already established in your neighboring country. We can only encourage you, It is up to Armenians and government of Armenia to proceed with these projects as a facilitator.
$20 million USD a year? Well then, stop all aide. You can get half an F-16 with that kind of money. More ‘southern neighbour’ nonsense. We get it man.
Pete – yes, that’s my question. As part of CSTO, as well as Russia’s role as guaranteeing Armenia’s security, I was wondering if they also monetarily contribute. I regularly see calls for and outrage about American’s aid, but nothing about Russia. Is that because of other deals? Like discounts on gas, EAEU, etc?
I don’t know the answer to that question. It would be great to find out. Russia could also be very secretive.
Not Armenian,
Think of it this way: Russia provides Armenia modern weaponry and military training at discounted prices and sometimes for free… Russia provides Armenia’s only atomic power plant with nuclear fuel and manages nuclear waste for discounted prices and sometimes for free… Russia is Armenia’s largest investor… Largest trade partner… Russian tourists amount for almost 75% of all tourists in Armenia… Russia is home to the largest and most affluent Armenian diaspora… Russia is the main destination for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers that send back billions of dollars in remittances annually… Russia is the ONLY government on earth interested in keeping Nagorno Karabakh alive… Russia is the ONLY nation on earth keeping Turks on their side of the Arax river…
Have I outlined enough reason why Armenia is wed to Russia and will remain we to Russia. The benefits Armenia receives from its relationship with Russia is priceless, as without Russian support Armenia would not even be able to exist, especially in a place like the south Caucasus.
Western money should be rejected by Armenians. Sadly, I know that is not goign to happen as most people, Armenians included, are materialistic, shortsighted and therefore easily manipulated. “Financial support” from the West always comes with political strings attached to it. It is merely a method of bribery, coercion and therefore corruption. We have seen what Western money, NGOs and activists have done in places like Serbia, Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Libya, Lebanon, Kazakhstan and of course Armenia. Uncle Sam can his toxic tool of political meddling to himself. Armenians need to lean how to be self-sustaining and finally put an end to their constant begging for “free money” as no money is ever free…
In my opinion.
I don’t believe Russia gives any direct financial aid to Armenia unless it is in the form of a loan to be paid back with interest. You mentioned possible Russian financial aid in the form of discounts in gas purchases. In fact, Armenia was forced to buy gas from Russia at twice the rate Iran was offering to Armenia. The Armenian consumers, of course, end up paying the inflated cost. Also, oddly it is Armenia that pays for the expenses of the Russian military base in Armenia and not Russia. In return, Russia supplies weapons to Armenia at cost and in some cases for free while it charges others high market prices. In essence, Russia uses that extra revenue from weapon sales to subsidize the actual cost of weapons delivered to Armenia. There are a few instances where Russia has given Armenia very powerful and sophisticated weapons that others could not get in the open market. Any direct financial aid that Armenia receives from Russia would most likely come from donations by wealthy Armenian businessmen in Russia as well as those in other traditional Armenian Diaspora communities around the world, the United States in particular. Armenia also receives money transfers or remittances from Armenians working and living abroad. They send money back to help their families in Armenia.
Ararat, the Russian gas was cheaper, that’s why Armenia settled for it.
We chose it, the Russians never forced it on us.
Besides, Western countries pressured Armenia to avoid doing too much business with Iran because of the Iranian nuclear program and the sanctions that followed.
As far as the aid is concerned, you think America gives it out as a gesture of kindness and friendship? LOL.
Hopefully some of the funds for Azerbaijan are for the election process in that country. Wouldn’t be bad to have free elections in the near future.
Thank you Pete and Ararat – very interesting and informative. I didn’t realize they paid more for gas than Iran wow!
Ararat is either an anti-Russian activist or he is misinformed. Russian energy has been the cheapest for Armenia. Russia also gives Armenia nuclear fuel and manages the nuclear waste.
Ararat- you’re correct with remittance. I believe in 2014, Armenians sent $1.4 billion to their families. That sum is 1/5 of the Armenian GDP. This money is used throughout the year.
It’s really sad that Armenians need to leave the country in order to eat.
I’m sorry but it’s all about what can you offer me.
Let me clarify my previous remark. That $1.4 billion of remittance is only from Armenian’s that live and work from Russia.
Gurgen,
I’m neither anti-Russian nor pro-Western. I’m pro-Armenian period. Unfortunately, we Armenians tend to have a primitive view of the world. A narrow view of the world. We either have friends or enemies in this world and nothing in-between. A binary view of the world if you will. For the sake of discussion, even if we assume what you say is correct, you failed to take into account the fact that Armenia’s leadership has controversially agreed to hand over more state energy assets to Russia in return for avoiding even the doubling of the price of Russian natural gas in the near future. When you take that fact into account then you will realize that Russian energy has not been the cheapest for Armenia. Furthermore, the Armenian leadership never does anything without Russia’s consent unless it is willing to face the consequences of its actions. Russia has monopoly over Armenia’s energy and it is not always in the best interest of Armenia. The same goes with Armenia’s foreign policies in the region!
why US Helps Bosniaks and kosovo muslims more than armenians ?
Ararat,
I am also pro-Armenian, which is why I do not engage in anti-Russian disinformation. You are trying hard to distract us from your error. Stick to the question. The question was: What is cheaper, Russian gas or Iranian gas? And the answer is Russian gas. Even Iranian officials have admitted this. Russian energy has always been discounted for Armenia. Armenia sold its Soviet era energy sector to Russia because it did NOT have the technical ability and it did NOT have the funds to operate it, and no one else was interested in it either. Would you have been happier if Westerners bought it? Please stop spreading Western propaganda inside Armenian society. Armenia would not survive one day without Russian support.
Quoting Concerned Armenian:
“Think of it this way: Russia provides Armenia modern weaponry and military training at discounted prices and sometimes for free… Russia provides Armenia’s only atomic power plant with nuclear fuel and manages nuclear waste for discounted prices and sometimes for free… Russia is Armenia’s largest investor… Largest trade partner… Russian tourists amount for almost 75% of all tourists in Armenia… Russia is home to the largest and most affluent Armenian diaspora… Russia is the main destination for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers that send back billions of dollars in remittances annually… Russia is the ONLY government on earth interested in keeping Nagorno Karabakh alive… Russia is the ONLY nation on earth keeping Turks on their side of the Arax river… Have I outlined enough reason why Armenia is wed to Russia and will remain we to Russia. The benefits Armenia receives from its relationship with Russia is priceless, as without Russian support Armenia would not even be able to exist, especially in a place like the south Caucasus.”
Gurgen,
This is exactly what I was talking about. Some Armenians have this illness of putting labels on people if they don’t like what they hear. By doing so, they try to bury the main message and turn everything into black or white and anti this and pro that. This is what happens when you can’t think of what is good or bad for the country independent of any foreign influence. You just said and I quote “I am also pro-Armenian, which is why I do not engage in anti-Russian disinformation.” What does that mean? To me it means you have to be pro-Russian in order to be pro-Armenian. That is hogwash! Your statement also implies that if you say anything that does not sound pro-Russian, hence pro-Armenian according to you, then you must be a pro-Western propagandist! That is laughable. That shows you can’t think independently of anything and anyone. If I claim Iranian gas is cheaper than Russian gas, how am I pro-Western when the entire Western World is anti-Iranian and does not want any country to conduct business with Iran in support of its Israeli puppet regime? It makes no sense! I’m not trying to distract you from anything and I still say Iranian gas is cheaper, as do many political analysts in Armenia, but Russia won’t allow this because they have to have monopoly on that too like they have monopoly on everything else. Quit talking about pro this and anti that and putting label on people and for once think about what is important for the homeland independent of any foreign power. Russia has two main industries: Weapons manufacturing and oil & gas export and nothing else and it is heavily reliant on both. As a result, it won’t allow any competitor to cut into its business because if it does that will reduce its influence and hold on that country. According to the Russian president himself, the collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union was one of the saddest events in Russia’s recent history. That statement alone should tell you plenty.
As for what you quoted of someone else’s remark, I will say the following:
Foreign intervention in any country creates dependency and there is always a price tag attached. I understand Armenia is in a very hostile neighborhood and naturally it needs help to maintain its security. I like to believe what is claimed here but it sounds so far from reality. Russia invaded Ukraine because it feared that Ukraine was on a path to be absorbed by NATO just like other former Soviet Bloc countries, such as Poland and Hungary, had been since the 1991 collapse of the former Soviet Union. On the one hand, one can understand why Russia was hell-bent on making sure that did not happen with Ukraine because Russia views such action as its NATO adversary’s encroachment on its territory and feels threatened. On the other hand, it should be the right of any country to choose what direction to take for the security of the country. Regardless, if Russia’s concern was to keep NATO away from Russia’s border and sphere of influence and was willing to use such massive and brutal force to do so with Ukraine then why is it that very same Russia, claiming to be Armenia’s strategic and military ally and the security guarantor of Armenia, allowed a terrorist member of the same NATO alliance, genocidal Turkey that is, to show its ugly head in Armenia’s backyard and conduct provocative military exercises with the enemy only less than 50km away from the Armenian capital? And when it became crystal clear why this terrorist Turkish NATO member state was in Armenia’s backyard Russia did absolutely nothing while NATO supplied Turkish F16 fighter jets flew over the sovereign territory of Armenia attacking and acting as cover for the enemy troop advancement in the 2020 terroristic war imposed on the Armenians? Why would Russia allow this to happen and why this double-standard? If NATO creeping up on Russian territory and sphere of influence was the primary cause for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, then why didn’t Russia show the same commitment and resolve to save its Armenian ally from NATO member Turkish terrorists, NATO member since 1952, who were already in Russia’s backyard and long before the Ukrainian crisis attacking the Armenians along with help from half dozen other terrorist states and criminal gangs? Why this double-standard?
If Russia is “The ONLY government on earth interested in keeping Nagorno Karabakh alive” then why didn’t Russia interfere in this war directly on the side of its Armenian ally, just like terrorist NATO member Turkey did on the enemy side, and instead stood aside and watched the ethnic-cleansing of indigenous Armenians by enemy terrorists? Why did it take action only when most of the liberated territories were lost and allowed Turkish terrorists to remain there to watch over its Armenian ally? What did Russia actually do instead? After allowing the Turkish enemy get what they wanted It moved in the last minute to spare what little was left to establish its military presence there after being absent, more like kicked out, from the region for the last thirty years. What kind of ally conducts itself this way? A self-serving fake one!
Russia is interested in keeping ARTSAKH, falsely called by its fake Turkified name of karabakh, because Russia considers it as Russian territory. This means Russia has not changed its Soviet mentality and that the former Soviet republics, and even former Soviet Bloc countries for that matter, can think they are free and independent all they want but Russia, as evident by its actions, still considers them as Russian territory and that’s why Russia reacts the way it does when these countries dare to conduct foreign policy independent of Russia. Today is Ukraine and in 2008 it was Georgia and we all saw what happened. Furthermore, Russia keeps the Turks at bay not because of Armenia but because Turkey is NATO’s easternmost border with Russia. Armenia is being used as a buffer zone for Russia just like terrorist Turkey is being used as a buffer zone by the NATO alliance. That is why Turkish terrorists get away with so much and hardly ever get punished for their anti-Western and in many instances even for their pro-Russian activities!
It’s amazing how out of touch with reality Armenians can be. NKR was NEVER under Russian protection. Armenia was under Russian protection. Guess why Turks have never attempted to step foot in Armenia? Also Russia was never on board with Armenian claims over NKR. For 30 years Russia told Armenia to return the 7 region outside NKR and make peace with Azerbaijan. Long story short: NKR was our responsibility, not Russia’s. Yet had it not been for Russia you here would be lamenting on the complete loss of Artsakh and a second genocide. Long story short all the the south Caucasus, especially Arena and Azerbaijan is Russian territory. When Russians arrived in the region there only existed a semi-independent Georgian kingdom. There was no such thing as Armenia or Azerbaijan. Armenians in the south Caucasus in fact were a tiny minority. Other than ancient churches, virtually everything you see in Armenia today is from the Russian and Soviet era. Had it not been for Russia, there would be no Armenia and Armenians would still be living as second class minorities in Turkey and Persia. Armenians never cease to amaze me…
It’s amazing how out of touch with reality Armenians can be. NKR was NEVER under Russian protection. Armenia was under Russian protection. Guess why Turks have never attempted to step foot in Armenia? Also Russia was never on board with Armenian claims over NKR. For 30 years Russia told Armenia to return the 7 region outside NKR and make peace with Azerbaijan. Long story short: NKR was our responsibility, not Russia’s. Yet had it not been for Russia you here would be lamenting the complete loss of Artsakh and a second genocide. Long story short: all of the south Caucasus, especially Armenia and Azerbaijan, is Russian territory. When Russians arrived in the region there only existed a semi-independent Georgian kingdom. There was no such thing as Armenia or Azerbaijan. Armenians in the south Caucasus were in fact a tiny minority. Other than ancient churches, virtually everything you see in Armenia today is from the Russian and Soviet era. Had it not been for Russia, there would be no Armenia today and Armenians would still be living as second class minorities in Turkey and Persia. Armenians never cease to amaze me…
Ararat, Iranian gas is not cheaper. Russian gas is. I don’t know why you keep doubling down on your claim.
Second of all, Turkey did not invade or occupy Armenia, but NATO had been shipping weapons and training to Ukrainian forces and militias like Azov. If you notice the flat geography and vulnerable Southwestern part of Russia, you will see that it is easy to infiltrate and invade Russian territory from there, as Hitler and Napoleon did, and that is why Putin declared war on Ukraine.
I also don’t know why you took Putin’s Soviet comment out of context. He said it was a disaster because it allowed festering of unresolved conflicts and the expansion of NATO without Russian pushback. You left that out.
Lastly, The Minsk Group should have been dealing with Artsakh. It was their jurisdiction. France and the USA failed in their duties.
@concernedarmenian: I wish there was a “like” button.
It is amazing how out of touch with reality some Armenians can be and that is one of the tragedies of our nation. They have no clue about the ancient Armenian history. First off, there is no such thing as NKR but the ancient Armenian province of ARTSAKH which the criminal Soviets took it, stole it that is, from Armenia and handed it over to newly-invented racist Azerbaijan-SSR in 1921. Most of the Soviet leaders at the time were not even ethnically Russian but Russian-speaking Zionists. As a political entity and as a nation-state, Russia has been around for far less than a millennium while Armenia has been around for nearly three millenniums and as a people inhabiting the region for several times that number. In the year 2018, Armenians worldwide celebrated the 2800th anniversary of the Armenian capital of Yerevan formerly called and known as Erebuni. The Central Asian Turkish terrorists, the Seljuk tribe more specifically, set foot on the Armenian homeland less than a millennium ago in mid-11th century followed by the genocidal Ottoman Turks who established themselves in the region in 1453 with the fall of Turkish-occupied Constantinople. The terrorist cesspool of Azerbaijan was artificially invented by the criminal Soviets, along with their criminal Turkish collaborators, for the first time in the history of the region only 104 years ago in 1918 with the collapse and the defeat of genocidal Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI on occupied Armenian and Persian lands.
Given all these facts, when someone credits a foreign power for the existence of Armenia obviously he is out of touch with reality. Armenia does not exist because of Russia. Armenia existed in spite of Russia and long before Russia came along. There is a difference between existence and survival and we tend to confuse the two. Existence speaks of long continuous ancient history and longevity. Survival speaks of holding onto whatever little of the ancient homeland has been spared. If you say what very little of Armenia (10% of total Armenian landmass) that has survived today is arguably because of Russia is different from saying Armenia exists because of Russia. It is because of these kinds of baseless arguments and lack of understanding and appreciation for the ancient Armenian history that the enemy, which itself for the first time and artificially was invented a century ago, can brainwash its politically-ignorant gullible population into believing that Armenia is a Russian creation. Take a look at an ancient map of the region and on it you will basically and only see the kingdom of Armenia and even Georgia, the Persian Empire and the Roman and the Byzantine empires. Neither Russia nor any of the terrorist states established in the region today through invasion and occupation ever existed here before. Some may say that you cannot go that far back and make such claims. Well, if the Turkish terrorist-in-chief Erdogan can bring up and mention those early terrorist Turkish tribes and illegitimate occupiers as the forefathers of the modern Turkish state every time he wants to feel proud of his “Turkishness” then why can’t we do the same and be proud of our past and as the True indigenous and legitimate inhabitants of our homeland despite the fact that we no longer have what we used to have and that because of these non-native terrorist tribes who today have established themselves on our homeland by use of force and ethnic-cleansing?
If the artificial Azerbaijan’s illegitimate fake president Aliyev can go as far back in history as it suits his falsehood and political agenda and claim Armenians in ARTSAKH and occupied Nakhijevan are newcomers and claim many of them as immigrants from Iran and consciously and intentionally not going back a little further into history and be exposed for his lies that the native Armenians were in fact uprooted, a quarter million of them, from their Armenian homeland from these areas and settled elsewhere as a result of a war in early 17th century, in 1603 to be exact, between the Ottoman Turkish terrorists and the Persians and therefore if any of them returned home that would be called REPATRIATION and not immigration. This racist criminal orders his defeated sadistic army to destroy the 1,300 year old Armenian Cemetery in Julfa Nakhijevan in 2005 and build a military training camp in its place to train more terrorists to kill native Armenians yet he claims indigenous Armenians are newcomers and immigrants. That’s pseudo-Turkish Azerbaijani logic for you. In other words, according to this criminal coward, native Armenians had a 1,300 year old cemetery around the conflict zone yet he considers them as newcomers and immigrants!
Some may argue all that is ancient history and irrelevant to the events taking place today. I say they are all interconnected and quite relevant to what is happening today. You can’t argue your present without taking into account your past. If you do, that is when you fall into your enemy’s trap. They have been rewriting and falsifying history for centuries and that is the only way they know how to legitimize their existence on other people’s lands. We need to learn our history and defend what is legitimately ours and claim and demand what was taken from us by use of force instead of giving credits and kowtowing to some foreign entity for our “existence”. Unlike many, we have the right to exist here and if for whatever reason right now we are unable to guarantee our security on our own that does not mean we should bow down to some foreign power and put our destiny into their hands. What we need, which we lack right now, is patriotic leaders who think Armenia and Armenians first & foremost and who can conduct a wise and balanced foreign policy with friends as well as with foes. After all, most foreign powers exist by feeding from the miseries of those over whom they rule!
I am perfectly aware of the fact that ARTSAKH was not under Russian protection and that is because our short-sighted leaders did not integrate it with Armenia after its liberation in 1994. That was their biggest mistake of the war. That was the right time to do that because the filthy enemy was defeated and was at our mercy. I highly suspect Russia did not allow this to happen by convincing the victorious Armenians to accept ceasefire instead. After all, criminal Azerbaijan was the artificial creation of the Soviet Union and just like a parent would never give up on its child and will always protect the child regardless of the child’s criminal activities, so did Soviet Union protect terrorist Azerbaijan from Armenia followed by its Russian successor. Given these facts, Russia of course would never have been onboard with the Armenian claims over ARTSAKH because they were the ones who took it from Armenia and gave it to their own artificial Azerbaijani creation.
I am amazed that you with your twisted logic are trying to get the Russians off the hook and blame it all on the Armenians. Who the heck were the Russians to tell the Armenians what to do with liberated Armenian territories unless they themselves had an interest in them and wanted them to be in the hands of the enemy in order to win over their hearts and keep them in their sphere of influence. They knew the enemy had aligned itself with NATO member terrorist Turkey after the fall of the Soviet Union and perhaps it was getting away from their hands and they had to do something to stop that from happening. Despite all odds, Armenians had defeated the enemy with 3-4 times the population and 25-30 times the firepower. Russia saw Armenia’s strength and a strong Armenia was a liability for Russia. It has always been the policy of Russia to keep its satellite states heavily dependent on Russia in order to have control over them. A strong, fully-independent and democratic Armenia was not in Russia’s interest. They have always played one against the other as part of their good old divide-and-rule policy.
It is funny how you, on the one hand, give credit to Russia for taking over ARTSAKH and taking it from the hands of both sides while, on the other hand, be completely oblivious to the fact that it was mainly Russia itself that armed the enemy to the teeth, along with others, to take the path of war in the first place. So it is perfectly fine for our so-called Russian ally to arm the enemy to plan such an attack but it is not OK and is perfectly excusable for Russia to stand aside and do nothing just because ARTSAKH stood alone and was outside of Armenia’s jurisdiction for Russia to take any action. I guess morality plays no role here whatsoever. As much as I hate to make a comparison, Ukraine was not part of the Western alliance either for the West to take any direct action in favor of Ukraine but, right or wrong, they did help Ukraine indirectly which gave them hope and a fighting chance to turn things around.
You really believe that terrorist Turks have not set foot in Armenia? First of all, what possibly would give the Turks the reason and the right to do such a thing when there have never been any provocations from Armenia towards terrorist Turkey in the last thirty years of Armenian independence? Secondly, what were the Turkish F16s doing flying over the Armenia’s airspace in 2020 coordinating and acting as cover for the enemy troop movements? What were NATO-supplied combat ready Turkish fighter jets doing parked in occupied Gandzak (Genje) airport transported there from Nakhijevan at the end of joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercise there and used in the 2020 war? I guess you no longer consider enemy-occupied Nakhijevan as Armenian territory because if you did you would consider the Turkish military presence there as a hostile act against Armenia. Lastly, the terrorist Turkish leadership has been conducting proxy war on Armenia and the Armenians through artificial Azerbaijan since the first ARTSAKH liberation war. They can’t do anything against Armenia directly so they use this conflict to do their dirty work. Was it just me witnessing Turkey’s terrorist defense ministry and filthy defense minister threatening Armenians in Tavush in summer of 2020? I can’t believe the lack of understanding and indifference shown towards Turkish terrorists. Furthermore, plain and simple, if Armenia was the security guarantor of ARTSAKH and there were Armenian soldiers in addition to ARTSAKH defense force fighting and defending the territory and the population there, and if Turkey’s terrorist generals were conducting and dictating war on the Armenians on behalf of artificial Azerbaijan then that, to me at least, is no different from Turkish terrorists fighting against Armenia whether or not they physically set foot on Armenian territory!
Brief summary:
– Turkey: Nato + full physical/economical/political penetration (not integration) into EU. Lot of blackmailing with refugees/teracts etc. Little culture, no democracy.
– Azeri: another oil country with Turkish support. Little culture, no democracy
– Armenia: lil and poor country. People divided with significant percentage of pro-putin troyans, but with lot of democratically minded pro-western people. The country is blocked from all sides by the enemies with the exception of Iran that is under US sanctions. Still cherish their rich culture and are willing to be a democratic country (see the revolution of 2018). Due to constant threats need to depend on russia.
So the choice of the US is obvious: pick Erdogan in favour of Putin, support the Azeri authoritarian government and dispose of the annoying poor country.
The one and the only reason the West provides such an aid to that country of so called Azerbaijan is; “Petro-mafia.”
The West, Particularly globalist Petro-mafia is protecting their investments.
That fake country of so called Azerbaijan is like those tiny countries of Persian Gulf
which were artificially created just to plunder their oil and gas.
That so called country of Azerbaijan with it’s tyrannical regime is the epicenter of the corruption in the world. It is the Mecca for for globalist mafia money-laundering and illicit drug and Global Arms Trade.
Now, why on earth these unscrupulous globalist would help Armenia?, when for these unconscionable globalist corporations “a gallon of oil is more valuable than human life.”