Russian authorities have expressed their readiness to collaborate with international efforts to ensure the rights and security of the Armenians of Artsakh, in their latest disagreement with the government of Azerbaijan.
“The Russian Federation has always treated the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan with respect,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko insisted during a July 17 meeting with Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. “At the same time, this does not cancel the task of comprehensively promoting the process of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, resolving all issues on the agenda, including ensuring the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic methods.”
Rudenko’s statement is the latest in a back-and-forth between the Russian Foreign Ministry and its Azerbaijani counterpart regarding the unblocking of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor. On July 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia released an unambiguous statement urging Azerbaijan to open the Berdzor Corridor and restore Artsakh’s gas and electricity supply.
“It is a matter of concern that today the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh is developing according to a negative scenario. The humanitarian crisis in the area is deepening,” the statement reads. “This may entail the most dramatic consequences for the Karabakh Armenians, or ordinary residents of the region.”
Azerbaijan has placed Artsakh under blockade since December 2022, leading to critical shortages of food and medical supplies. Azerbaijan has also periodically disrupted Artsakh’s access to natural gas and electricity, which are supplied by Armenia through lines that cut across Azerbaijani-controlled territory. Since June 15, Azerbaijan has also blocked the International Committee of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers from traveling along the Berdzor Corridor to deliver humanitarian supplies and transfer medical patients to Armenia for treatment.
Government-sponsored Azerbaijani protesters posing as eco-activists had closed the Berdzor Corridor from December 12, 2022 to April 23, 2023. They ended their protest after Azerbaijan set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor from Armenia, placing movement along the corridor completely under the control of Azerbaijani border guards.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry criticized the statement from its Russian counterpart. It defended the border checkpoint as a measure to “prevent illegal activities and to ensure transparency.” The Foreign Ministry accused Russia of failing to prevent “illegal activities,” including the transportation of military equipment and landmines from Armenia to Artsakh. It also claimed that the Artsakh Defense Army is “supported under the supervision of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko called the statement from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister “incorrect.”
Azerbaijani leaders have repeatedly accused Armenia of transferring weapons to Artsakh, in order to justify the blockade of the Berdzor Corridor. They have not provided evidence for this claim. On February 22, the International Court of Justice rejected a request from Azerbaijan for provisional measures ordering Armenia to stop using the Berdzor Corridor for this purpose, citing insufficient evidence.
The July 15 statement from Russia’s Foreign Minister also asserts Russia’s readiness to collaborate with international efforts to settle the Artsakh conflict.
“The Russian side confirms its intention to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community to restore the normal life of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the statement reads.
While Russia has been preoccupied by its war in Ukraine, Western actors, namely the United States and the EU, have emerged as key mediators in the Artsakh conflict and Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process. Russia has accused the West of attempting to seize Russia’s traditional position as the primary mediator in the South Caucasus. However, in the July 15 statement, Russian authorities signaled closer alignment with the West in the negotiation process.
On the same day that the Russian Foreign Minister released its statement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel held their sixth trilateral meeting in Brussels. Michel did not report progress toward a peace treaty after the meeting.
“We are going through one of the most comprehensive and vigorous stages of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Michel said. “And even though our meeting took place in the context of a worrying increase in tensions on the ground, I noted important momentum in the political discussions and efforts.”
Michel “emphasized the need to open the Lachin road” during the meeting, according to a readout from the EU. He also “noted Azerbaijan’s willingness to provide humanitarian supplies via Aghdam.” “I see both options as important and encourage humanitarian deliveries from both sides to ensure the needs of the population are met,” Michel said.
Azerbaijani leaders have recently proposed delivering humanitarian supplies to Artsakh from Azerbaijan through the Aghdam-Stepanakert road, rather than from Armenia through the Berdzor Corridor.
Yerevan-based political analyst Tigran Grigoryan criticized this option, calling it “Azerbaijan’s blackmail” to justify the continued blockade of the Berdzor Corridor.
“So, they have now legitimized Azerbaijan’s blackmail by agreeing that providing supplies from Aghdam to NK is a workable option. Kudos to Michel and Pashinyan for giving Baku another excuse not to unblock the corridor,” Grigoryan tweeted.
Some residents of Askeran, a town in Artsakh near Aghdam, have reportedly decided to install barriers along the Aghdam-Askeran highway, “in order to counter the so-called humanitarian aid to the Artsakh/Karabakh Armenians predetermined by the Azerbaijani authorities.”
Askeran residents blocked the Askeran-Aghdam road with concrete barriers. pic.twitter.com/vRzAg9v3ID
— Marut Vanyan (@marutvanian) July 18, 2023
Before the trilateral meeting, Pashinyan hand-delivered a letter written by Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan to Michel, appealing to the international community to prevent a humanitarian and security disaster in Artsakh. On July 17, Harutyunyan announced that he is taking the “extreme measure” to join an indefinite sit-in protest in Artsakh’s capital Stepanakert to draw international attention to the blockade.
“If the plight of the people of Artsakh does not return within a week to a more or less stable and normal state with international intervention, then we will resort to tougher actions both in Artsakh and outside of it,” Harutyunyan said.
Lillian Avedian
Latest posts by Lillian Avedian (see all)
- Book Review | Reparations of the Heart: Toward a SWANA Futurity - April 10, 2024
- The Region in Brief - April 10, 2024
- Armenia on the path to becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence - March 27, 2024
Dear Armenians please do not trust EU US and Nato they destroyed christian serbia for islamic jehadist Bosnia kosovo Albania,turks arabs terrorists volunteerly came to kill serbians whose has experience arabs in lebanon were expert to killing maronite christians and armenians anothers in egypt coptic ones nd in lraq assyrians syriac please do not trust them
Serbian: Albania and Albanians are significantly more ancient than Serbia. You know that, right? Or maybe you think we don’t know:)
To READER
I did not know that prophet Muhammed was born before Jesus Christ. I wonder how Albanians became Muslim, never mind Christianity. Politics do not recognize religion anymore, especially from NATO and the EU, and Putin’s forces.
Serbia is 100% correct. Reader is a pro western troll. Albanians are European Turks. Long live Serbia.
@ Gurgen, you are right and wrong firstly Andrew Korybko is apparently a US national of Polish and Belarusian ancestry living in Moscow shilling Kremlin viewpoints whilst apparently being independent thus provides an insight in what the Kremlin viewpoint is whilst hiding under an independent viewpoint as he parrots their position. However you are quite wrong on the second part I’m a British national living in England not of Armenian ancestry and have never been to the USA although my brother and grandfather have. My agenda is simple see things for what they are perhaps i appear detached but there has been far too much sentimentality among many Armenians towards Russia and there has to be a cold hard rationality about what is really been going on. As for the west there is some sympathy for Armenia; the first Christian nation but is hampered by geographical reasons along with its own official alliance with Turkey and Armenias alliance on paper at least with Russia whose relationship with the west is all but at war with, also the influence of Israel and it’s religiously driven animosity towards Armenians is to some extent a factor. Perhaps the criticism of Russia is based on the fact it’s legally an ally and thus much more is expected of it as a result whereas other nations might be seen have having sympathetic factions notably the USA France and Greece yet none are legally obligated to protect Armenia in any way whereas Russia is, thus has a responsibility on this basis when it has shown shortcomings long before Pashinyan came to office. Perhaps as the saying goes it’s easier to forgive an enemy than a friend who has betrayed one after all as an enemy they have a “right” to be hostile whereas a friend is expected to be sympathetic at least. It’s touching to see that some people (many Armenians among them) who have less kinship, common history etc with Russia than the Ukrainians can really seriously believe that they must be closer to Russia when a nation and people (Ukraine) who have had a continuous history of interaction feel although abetted by foreign powers that they want no more association with Russia. Russia resents the diaspora as it sees them as a rival for influence and diminishes we’re your only friend notion that @ concerned and others like to assume.
Charles, so you do indeed have an agenda. You claim to be non-Armenian British, yet you are here to convince us Armenians that Russia is not a real friend to Armenia. That sound very peculiar, to say the least. News flash: Russia is not a best friend Armenian has, but it is the only friend Armenia has.
Moreover, your government is behind the war in Ukraine. Your government has been behind Turkey since the Crimean War, a war the West waged against Russia on behalf of Turkey. Your government finalized the Armenian Genocide in the aftermath of the First World War because they feared Armenian self rule in Asia Minor would be used as a springboard for Russian expansion. Your government was the first to give Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbijan in 1918. Your government was and continues to be behind Islamic and Zionist movements to suppress Christians, Russians and Iranians in that region of the world.
Please tell those who send you to Armenian socioal media that not all Armenians are naive and gullible.
How Pashinyan can even tolerate being in the same room as the bigoted leader of a cult that would like to do to Artsakh as was done in Nakhichevan, where Aliyev’s family is from, is beyond me. Just like their blood brothers in Turkey, if there is one thing Armenians should have learned, is that you cannot trust a Azeri official for one second.
I don’t trust the Azerbaijan “aid” Be careful they have not poisoned the produces and medications. I wouldn’t put it past them! All this is power game!
Hid entire life, Nikol dreamed of abandoning Artsakh, forgetting the Armenian Genocide, unconditionally opening Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey and, last but not least, bringing Armenia out of Russia’s orbit. These unique characteristics exhibited by Nikol naturally did not escape the attention of various intelligence services around the world. This essentially is how and why Western and Turkish interests helped place Nikol into power in 2018. This is not a speculation. This can actually be proved in court. Follow the money trail that paved the way to Nikol’s “New Armenia” (NED, USAID, British Council, European Council, large numbers of western financed NGOs, large numbers of western financed news outlets, money transfers from Baku to Armenia just prior to the “velvet revolution”, etc) and you will end up in Washington, London, Brussels, Ankara and perhaps Tel Aviv. To it’s utter shame and disgrace, the Armenian world, both native and diasporan, preferred to keep Nikol in power not once but twice, the second time being after the embarrassing defeat Armenia suffered in 2020.
Having much bigger matters to tend to in Ukraine, 2018 was also when Russia, Armenia’s only lifeline since 1992, began pulling its protective hand away from both Armenia and Artsakh, but did so only slightly so that the two wouldn’t disappear completely from the map.
In other words, seeing that official Yerevan was persistently seeking to embrace the West to off-set Russian influence in Armenia, protecting Armenian interests as Moscow had done since 1992 at the expense of alienating Turks and Azeris no longer served Russia’s strategic interests. With a major world crisis approaching, instead of moving closer to the Russian Federation for security, which would be a natural move as Armenia was and continues to be almost entirely dependent on Russia for survival, by 2018 the Armenian world had effectively maneuvered Armenia into geopolitical isolation and dead end. Just like how Moscow punished Baku in 1992, Tbilisi in 2008 and Kiev from 2014-present, Moscow also punished Yerevan in 2020. But, unlike what the Kremlin will do to Ukraine (i.e. Ukraine will ceases to exist when this war is over), the Kremlin will make sure that an Armenia and an Artsakh survive in some form, as Russians still need Armenians in the south Caucasus as a buffer against Turks and Muslims.
In a nutshell, what I just described is how Armenians lost Artsakh. This is why Armenia today is like a rudderless boat on a stormy sea. All in all, the last 5 years in Armenia was a nightmare, and a toxic by-product of western-style democracy and the self-destructive efforts of Armenians worldwide to use the West as a leverage against Russia. Consequently, Armenians have no right to complain today, as they were the main authors of the country’s latest tragedy.
Erdogan transferred his war from the Syrian fronts toward South Caucasus. Neither Russia nor the West are interested in the coming new war in South Caucasus. Only Israel may supply weaponry to Azerbaijan to counterbalance Iran’s powerful army.
The West and Russia will become “sport-like” spectators and stay neutral as they did in the 2020 Artsakh 44 days of the war, where only Turkey used NATO equipment and military leadership against Armenian forces.
This looming war in South Caucasus will be between Turkey and Azerbaijan vs Iran and Armenia. The rest of the world will be color commentators and fake peacekeepers, advisors, sympathizers, and so on…..
Sultan Erdogan, like his counterpart dictator Putin, are two psychopaths who want to bring back their lost Empires in the wrong way, where both will be failed and may get trapped into their own created adventurism.
The winner of this war will determine the Zangezurr corridor and the entire Artsakh ownership.
At reader,
So, what is your point? Don’t come here and bully our Srrbian brother. You are free to leave.
The idea of providing aid through Agdam which has been proposed and/or endorsed by the Euros and Aliyev is another nail in the coffin. It plays into Azerbaijan and its ridiculous narrative of “re-integrating” the Armenians.
It must not be accepted. The Lachin blockade is illegal and has been rules on. It is absurd that the Euros talk about this and have zero enforcement of the ICJ ruling.
We have been on our heels since Pashinyan offered to accept Azeri sovereignty over Artsakh. Regardless of the lack of a final deal and the “rights and security” issue , this is all the West needed to hear and it’s gives Russia an out for its non-performance. Breaks my heart with frustration that this was a negotiating tactic….
Hid or surely his entire life. Do really think from birth that Nikol Pashinyan dreamt of the various things you suggested in the beginning of your article? Maybe oneday one might realise that Russia like many hegemons manipulates so it’s seemingly indespensible to its allies/dependants… Russia protective hand idiom you repeatedly use , I’m sure very few Ukrainians feel that of Russia. Assuming that election was fair maybe in the privacy of the ballot box Armenians voted to re-elect Pashinyan as few could say it safely in public at the time but Armenia lost due to being outmatched by Azerbaijan not a convenient myth of stab in the back of sour grapes sentiments common with failure. The passing of time subsequent events in Armenia and Arktash and Russia’s own woes have led to a more realistic assessment of why Armenia really lost in 2020
The West thrives by using countries like Armenia as sand bags serving their interest. The 2 cell brain Western propaganda media have problem comprehending that Armenia being part of the West will not change the fact it will still be a sand bag. Just look at Georgia and Saakashvili (let’s hope submissive Nikol’s faith will be the same).
Victor, Armenia being a sandbag for Western powers is very good analogy. Too bad most Armenians suffer from political illiteracy, cognitive dissonance and emotional handicaps. Armenians will therefore continue beliving in Western fairtales like democracy, human rights and justice, and Armenia will therefore continue suffering…
I remember all of these Armenians saying that turkey is no threat
Especially armos from istanbul
Do Armenians even view turkey as a threat anymore? Or do they wish they were western subjects under turkey?
I don’t think what Armenians thought of Turkey would have made any difference. Terrorist Turkey is a NATO member and I can’t imagine Turkey’s NATO masters not knowing what Turkey was up to yet they made our gullible leaders believe that this conflict can only be resolved by peaceful means and that there can be no military solution. When the time came to put their money where their mouths were, they simply stood aside and let it happen. I also can’t believe how our incompetent leaders could have ignored the Turkish threat given the fact that terrorist Turkey and artificial criminal Azerbaijan made a military pact, threat on one is threat on the other, soon after the failure of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation treaty farce cooked up by the West in 2009 aimed at undermining Russian hold on the region. In other words, direct negotiations and dialogue between Armenia and Turkey makes Russia irrelevant over time.
Artificial Azerbaijan played a major role in making sure such reconciliation between the two never takes place by making Turkey put preconditions on Armenia for the ratification of this treaty, post signing of the treaty, and that by offering many incentives to Turkey such as offering Caspian oil at dirt cheap prices and by making Turkey the energy hub for transportation and distribution of oil & gas to energy-hungry Europe. Our so-called military ally Russia did nothing to stop terrorist NATO member Turkey from moving into Armenia’s backyard militarily after over a century of absence from there WHILE turning Ukraine into dust merely for suspecting Ukraine’s desire to join the NATO alliance. Both the West and Russia, coupled with the incompetence of our Armenian leaderships, sacrificed us for their own selfish gains. Our salvation is in our hands only and neither of these two should be trusted.
Got it
It’s russias fault that Armenians took tonnes of ngo money to hate russia
It’s russias fault that the Armenian ppl chose an openly hostile government to russia, which then arrested the head of the csto
It’s russias fault that Ukrainians were killing russians in formerly eastern ukraine, and that russians decided to intervene. Russia should have been like the pashinyan government and just ignored their brothers. …
That being said, seems Armenians cant even trust Armenians…
Enjoy ararat being removed from the coat of arms!!!
Russia as espoused by Kremlin shill Andrew Korybko was all about internationally recognised Azerbaijan inc N-K not just the parts of Azerbaijan that Armenia obsinately held onto 1994 – 2020 and in essence well too bad about the Armenian population that didn’t indentify with Azerbaijan it’s internationally recognised as Azerbaijan and not recognised by Armenia as Armenian ( because Russia was clear that it didn’t support such a prospect) yet as @Ararat says shows it’s hypocrisy by invading and annexing parts of Ukraine, reintegration as he terms it of parts that were populated by Russians whom he seems think is quite reasonable to unite with Russia if they can’t identify with Ukraine yet the Armenians in Azerbaijan must accept they’re part of that country. This is the nation those who admire Russia are putting their friendship in one who has been hypocritical and cynical and concieted and taking ones loyalty which is driven to a strong degree by desperation out of vunerablity for granted. At least the issues facing Russia in Ukraine have led to less of the ” we lost because Russia stepped back out of estrangement with Armenia because of Pashinyan and if not Russia would have prevented Azerbaijani attacks as it’s has such incredible capacities” that was rife from 2020 which seemed plausible until subsequent events disproved this notion.
It was the Soviet Union the legal predecessor of the Russian federation that removed Mount Ararat from Armenia so if Pashinyan at Turkish behest removes this national symbol from the Armenian coat of arms it was Russia who set the process in the first place.
I find it interesting that you ignored all my criticism of the West and only focused on what I said about Russia which, unlike the West, is supposed to be an Armenian ally!
Whose fault was it that after a century of absence the NATO member terrorist Turkey showed its fascist face in Russia’s ally Armenia’s backyard to plan and conduct the 2020 war on Azerbaijan’s behalf?
Whose fault was it when Russia sold billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to our today’s arch-enemy Azerbaijan and casually called it merely a business transaction? And this happening when Russia has military bases on Armenian soil!
Whose fault was it that Russia turned a blind eye on terrorist Turkey conducting military drills with Azerbaijan on Azerbaijani and Turkish occupied Armenian Nakhijevan less than 50km from the Armenian capital and transferring and hiding Turkish acquired NATO attack weapons, such as F-16 jets, deep inside Azerbaijan and using them during the 2020 war?
Whose fault is it that the Russian so-called “Peace Keepers” did not do what they were supposed to do and as a result Artsakh’s entire population is today under blockade experiencing humanitarian crisis?
And the list goes on…
We had no real expectations from the West but had plenty from the Russians and they betrayed an entire nation loyal to Russia for centuries and that over an incompetent and unpatriotic leader, even a Western puppet and a tool, Pashniyan whom they did not approve! How long are you people going to ignore these facts and give Russians a pass? Like I said, neither side, not the West and not the Russians, should be trusted because they did not live up to their obligations when Armenia needed them the most!
Li Gats, you hit the nail on the head. Armenians want Russians to more pro-Armenia and Armenians themselves. Armenians want Russians to put Armenia ahead of Russia’s interests, while Armenians themselves do everything they can to embrace Western powers. Nikol was put into power by Western and Turkish money, with the support of the Armenian diaspora. But, according to Armenians, it’s Russia fault. Armenians keep dreaming of independence from Russia. But, every time Turks threaten Armenia, Armenians blame Russia. Armenians want Russians to fight their wars, while Armenians fight for US visas. What an amazing people we Armenians aew…
Charles, the shill you are referring to is an American just like you. Regarding the rest of the silliness, if you really believe what you write and therefore are not a cyber warrior with an agenda, I stongly suggest you begin studying history and geopolitics. You, and other here, really need it.
Concerted- help us understand Russia’s interests. They appear confusing to an average person. Like why did it recently restart passenger flights to Georgia, a country it has no diplomatic relations with. Or , why is Alief still in power. Why was Ukrane such a big deal because it was supposedly going to join Nato (that didn’t happen), but Finland joining that same Nato is not an issue. If you don’t know history, a hundred years ago Finland was just a province of the Russian empire. And Soviets managed to keep it friendly for 50 years. Now there is that long western border with a hostile country. Generally, do they know what they are doing?
Which visas Armenians fight or don’t fight for may be irrelevant, given the tens of thousands of Russians fleeing to Armenia in the last year.
Nice try, reader.
Finland was an independent country conquered by Russia, and Finland had a large, non-Russian population. Russians could therefore afford giving it up. Eastern Ukraine was always a big part of Russia and had a large Russian population. Ukraine was made “independent” by Bolsheviks trying to destroy the Russian Empire. Bolsheviks did the same with Armenia, before Stalin put an end to it by giving Armenia the status of an ethnic republic. Strategically, Ukraine was vitally important for Russia to keep and for the West to wrestle away from Russia. In 2014, Western powers managed to put neo-Nazis into power in Ukraine. Watch Oliver Stone’s documentary “Ukraine on Fire”. The West had one goal – to turn Ukraine into a bastion of anti-Russian activity. This was put to an end on Feburary 24, 2022. When this war ends, Ukraine, as we knew it, will cease to exist…
Russians are brilliant in diplomacy and statecraft, and they play the very long game. Moscow will therefore continue making efforts to bring all – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – back into its orbit. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the farsighted and pragmatic thing to do. This is something that shortsighted and politically illiterate Armenians cannot wrap their minds around…
The majority of Russians that settled in Armenia after the war did so for work reason. Most of them work in the IT industry. They couldn’t work in Russia due to sanctions. The rest of the “Russians” that moved to Armenia were the “woke” types. The former will go back to Russia. The latter I hope will move to the West to participate in the West’s civilizational decline…
A lot of you here have the need to revisit history and study politics, that is if you are not an internet activist with an anti-Russia and anti-Armenia agenda…
PS: those who say Armenians can manage alone in the south Cauasus (i.e. we don’t need or trust Russia) are no different than Turks wishing Armenia dead.
One more time: Russia is toying with Armenia because Armenians elected a Soros government, not once but twice.
Moscow did the same with Azeris when Western powers bribed them (i.e. aid money, loans, grants, etc) into putting into power an anti-Russian leader in 1992. Moscow did the same with Georgians when Western powers bribed them into putting into power an anti-Russian leader in 2005. Moscow has been doing the same with Ukraine since 2014, albeit on a much grander and more violent scale.
So, as usual, Armenians refused to learn from history. Armenians refused to learn from the mistakes of others. This is especially astonishing when realizing the simple fact that Armenia – unlike Azerbaijan,Georgia and Ukraine – was, is and will continue being dependent on Russia for survival. In other words, a country that could not survive without Russia, was desperately trying to breakaway from Russia.
Armenians got their “democratic” wish in 2018. Russians, expectedly, didn’t allow the crisis to go to waste. Moscow sacrificed Armenian interests in Artsakh to secure its southern flank in preparation of its war in Ukraine. It worked. All in all, it has been Armenian style cognitive dissonance and political illiteracy at work.
Armenia could have been like a Belarus or an Abkhazia, Armenians instead chose to be like a Kurdistan. So, enjoy the fruits of democracy and westernization. The good news however is that despite how repugnant Armenians act on the political stage, Russians won’t let Armenia disappear from the world map due to strategic reasons.
Concerned, I agree with you 100%. The Russian factor in the south Caucasus is the ONLY thing keeping both Armenia and Artsakh alive today, as it has been for the past two hundred years. But “Charles” is here from Britain to convinnce us otherwise :)
To concerned Armenian, your comments to the above, like “reader,” will go over their heads
They’re too busy taking talking points on politics from “the view,” and listening to the likes of joy behar or whoopi goldberg
It’s really sad Armenians in America put liberal soros edicts above national interests, so they can talk about “issues” with their hollywood celebrity heros, all the while, trying to keep up with the jones’, and their Armenian counterparts
Hello Gurgen if you actually follow what I’ve said i have never urged Armenia to do a Ukraine and turn against Russia. What i have said is that Armenia and it’s people need to be more realistic about Russia in its abilities and intentions in other words less of this Russia is our only friend mantra Russia will save us. Too many Armenians revere Russia in the way many Israeli revere the USA which given the contrast in what Russia has done for Armenia to what the USA has done for Israel is tragic and desperate and has elements of being delusional.As for Britain i don’t speak for the government or “establishment” Britain was quite friendly with Armenians in India and saw them as partners so i wouldn’t say Britain is anti Armenia in a tribal way at all although their aren’t the ties like France has. If the British government and the dunsterforce supported N-K being part of Azerbaijan during the period between the collapse of czarist control the Soviets could easily have reversed it as part of a strike against British imperialists actions given their revolutionary fervour of the time… The Soviet Union was in collusion with Kemalist Turkey the instigators of the end of Armenia as pledged by the treaty of Serves which was never ratified and superseded by the ratified treaty of Lausanne. Perhaps Britain sold Armenia out but so too did the Soviet Union, and the USA and France. As for the war in Ukraine Britain seeing Russia as a strategic rival is happy to aggravate the conflict in the aim of hobbling Russia and presumably confident that there will be no violent repercussions against Britain itself a nation which last had a foreign backed coup in 1688 and hasn’t had land warfare in the south for 380 years and 280 for Scotland can indeed become very conceited.
Guys, there is a lot of disinformation and outright lies being circulated among English speaking Armenians. The treaty of Alexandropol that the ARF led Armenian government signed with Turks in 1921, left Armenia with 10,000 square kilometers of sovereign territory. After Armenia capitulated to the Red Army, the Bolshevik government gave Armenia today’s 28,000 square kilometers. It was the British that first gave Artsakh to Tatars in Baku. It was the French that gave Cilicia to Turks. The “brutal dictator” Stalin turned Armenia into an industrialized republic and against Turkish complaints put Mount Ararat on Soviet Armenia’s state seal. Armenia could have been bigger had we not trusted western powers and instead worked with the Bolshevik government in Moscow after 1917.
People, learn your history if you don’t want to be led to the slaughter house again.
Charles, we really don’t need your advice. Don’t worry about us Armenians, we’ll manage. Worry about your multicultural themepark called “Great Britain”.
Regarding Russia in Ukraine, Russia is single handedly destroying Ukraine and NATO, and it is doing so with only a fraction of its military potential.
If you want to hear what really is going on in Ukraine I suggest you stop listening to your government’s BS and start listening to independent voices. Here are a couple of “blokes” you can listen to:
London Real interviews Col. Macgregor
https://youtu.be/_YA1tY1bHtw
Hello Gurgen, I’m well aware of the theme park of a nation i live in that bangs on about WW2 as it’s just finished when its legacy is collapsing rapidly lol. As for Ukraine i don’t believe everything western MSM has to say yet wouldn’t take Moscow’s narrative wholeheartedly. Thankyou for the link i do look at south front to get a more balanced perspective of the goings on. As for advice well, Armenia was clearly in denial about matters in N-K and parts of Azerbaijan that it controlled until 2020 believing that it was like 1994 with the clock stopped. Perhaps if Armenians had been paying more attention to Azerbaijan growth in strength, Russia calling as stated by Kremlin shill Andrew Korybko to withdraw from internationally recognised Azerbaijan then the catastrophe in 2020 could have been averted, by seeking to have negotiated a settlement in the 1990s from a position of strength and more on one’s own terms, the wiseguys who led Armenia presumably knew better. I wish you all well and the ghetto/reservation like situation in Arktash is awful. As for Russia its one thing to cite international law about Armenia in its 1994- 2020 possession of parts of Azerbaijan as for how this is wrong and with difficulty could be accepted well rules are rules, however when a little over a year later embarks on a war of conquest in Ukraine on behalf of fellow Russians there and attempts annexation can only be seen as rank hypocrisy! Moscow has been trying to appease Baku by leaving Armenia in the lurch and to try and get Azerbaijan distance from Turkey on those grounds this has done little to impress Azerbaijan as part of Putin’s post Soviet project and much to disappoint Armenia indeed for Russia to think that Armenia would remain just as loyal and friendly after what happened in 2020 was conceited and also arrogant and ultimately rather niave.
One more time: just as for London relations between Britain and Cyprus cannot be on an equal plain, for Moscow, relations between Russia and Armenia cannot be on an equal plain. In case you are not aware, Russia is a nuclear superpower. Russia is the largest nation-state on earth. Russia is self-sustaining and therefore self-reliant because of the virtually limitless amounts of natural resources it controls. Armenia on the other hand is a tiny, remote, landlocked, impoverished and embattled nation that is desperately dependent on Russia for survival in a very Turkic/Islamic part of the world. Yet, Armenians are constantly seeking “westernization”. We finally got our wish in 2018. All in all, it’s cognitive dissonance at its worst. Had we Armenians accepted our south Caucasus reality and merged with Russia – just as Abkhazia did, just as Belarus did, just as Crimea did – we would not have suffered the nighmare of the last 5 years. In any case, sooner or later, one way or another, and despite all your efforts, Armenia will go back home to Mother Russia.
There are basic principles regardless of the size and perceived power of a nation. Also whilst no relationship is ever equal even the dominant one cannot completey behave as though it is bestowing all the benefits and take the loyalty of the weaker one for granted especially when it’s turning out to be not so strong after all. For Russia to take a legalistic approach to Armenian held N-K and parts of Azerbaijan was one thing (rules are rules, international borders as it was accepted in Alma Alta declaration of 1990 the Soviet republics would accept their boundaries in the event of independence as future international ones) to shortly over a year later occupy parts of Ukraine and attempting annexations is hypocrisy as they had been condemning Armenia over its possession since Nikol Pashinyan took office about Armenian control of parts of internationally recognised Azerbaijan since 1994 yet would shortly after engage in its activities in Ukraine. As for Belarus it’s got no choice, Abkhazia population has fallen since it broke away from Georgia and Crimea currently has repeated strikes on the Kerch straits bridge, the loss of its main water supply since the destruction of kakova dam, various strikes on assets within the pinnsula in other words not a great time with mother Russia currently. Being a nuclear superpower has prevented Russia from being bamboozled like Iraq, Serbia, Libya by NATO however it has not prevented their losses they are currently enduring. Even if the war there ends in stalemate western sanctions against Russia which don’t cause crippling losses to the west will persist until it withdrawals from all of internationaly recognised Ukraine. Of course if Russia wins but it would have to be victory not just over Ukraine all sorts of things will happen but as matters stand there seems little prospect of it also as the friendly powers who provide so much support for Ukraine whoose territory is out of bounds to Russian military action means unless Russia is successfully engage when them aswell it’s likely to loose as it’s a simple matter of resources. The Saker blogger who was all about how amazing Russian military equipment and leadership was closed down last year as it became impossible to rationalise without acknowledging failure. Perhaps take this as a hint Armenia had a reality check in 2020 Russia is likely to get one over Ukraine given the state of affairs. Does it not register that if Armenia not contiguous with Russia to legally unify with it will automatically get sanctioned by the west even more opportunity for Turkey and Azerbaijan to abuse it, ruin relationship with Georgia which whilst no ally is certainly not an enemy like Turkey and Azerbaijan are. Russia might be vast and have much resources however it’s the resources of the collective west are much greater and thus outmatched basically. Context as always
The West lives on the “Bretton Woods” global financial system devised after the second world war. The West is all but devoid of strategic natural resources such as precious metals, rare earths and uranium. The Anglo-American world is mostly devoid of heavy industry. The West remains afloat because of the US dollar’s role as the global reserve currency. Once the US dollar is dethroned, and it’s only a matter of time, the West will go into decline. This is why the West has over one thousand military installations around the world. This is why the West has started wars around the world (Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Russia and Ukraine. This is why the West does its best to impose the US dollar in international trade. This is why countries like Britain, Canada and Australia act as lap dogs for Washington DC. The West is not self-reliant or self-sufficient. In other words, the Western alliance lives through the use of force, assassinations, blackmail, bribes, deceit, threats, subversion and coersion around the world. Sooner or later, this will come to an end. Sooner or later, what was devised at Bretton Woods some 75 years ago will begin to fail. And when that happens, Western nations, those that lived well in the post-war era, will begin to slide into poverty and will therefore lose their prominent position in the world. It will be a long process, but the process has already started. Ukraine is only the fist domino to fall. This is why the West is rabidly Russophobic…
Oh Charlie, please stop with all the political spin and nonsense. You are really reaching for the bottom of the barrel because you really don’t have a valid argument. Open your eyes and look around you lad. The Western world is in a severe civilizational decline. Neo Marxists are running the show in places like Washington, London and Brussels. Multiculturalism, interracialism, atheism, sexual degeneracy, decline of families, promotion of homosexuality, decline of national borders, decline of ethnic cultures, culture of violence, substance abuse, “wokeism”, etc are all their tradmark. Emerging powers like Russia and China are simply waiting for the West to implode. It will happen in this century. Saker and Andrew Korybko are BOTH Americans. They are mostly likely CIA assets keeping an eye on pro-Russian westerners. They never have and never will represent Russia. Tell those who send you to Armenians sites that not all Armenians think and act like third world peasants.
For the past 30 years, Armenia natives and the traditional diaspora tried their best to lessen Russia’s influence in Armenia by embracing the West. That’s how we got American-Armenian political figures in Armenia. That’s now we got the AUA. That’s how we got Civilnet. That’s how we got a large army of Western financed NGOs in a tiny, impoverished country desperately dependent on Russia for survival. Nikol is only the toxic by-product of the pan-Armenian effort to “democratize” and “westernize” and make Armenia independent from Russia. We finally got what we wanted in 2018. We then got what we deserved in 2020. The last 30 years, the last 5 years in particular, have shown that Armenians are not ready, nor do they deserve independece. After seeing what we saw during the past 30 years, anyone that still preaches independence, they must be either insane or working towards the Turkification of Armenia.
The quicker we turn the house keys over to Russia, the better it will be for Armenia.
Hello Gurgen
I am well aware of decrepitude in the west you are describing . . .
The Saker blogger (Andrei Martinov?) is reportedly a person of Russian ancestry living in Florida and would sing excessive praises of Russian military in all its aspects until the situation in Ukraine seems to have got too much for him and he closed his blog down
Andrew Korybko is apparently of Polish and Belarusian ancestry and of US nationality living in Moscow and writes articles strongly reflecting the Kremlin perspective and was interesting in the sense that what he would write would reflect sometimes what the Kremlin wished to imply but not diplomatically appropriate to officially state as much. For example in 2020 he sneered at Armenia using unguided rockets and shells (probably of Soviet/Russian origin) against buildings in Azerbaijan and praised them for their use of guided drones (Turkey and Israel) as focusing on military targets, he praised the 2021 election of Pashinyan as Armenia choosing peace over war he mocked the fact that Armenia never even recognised Arktash as independent let alone claimed it as part of Armenia and dismissed as to why the Armenian population wished to leave Azeri authority and prior to the conflict kept stating that Armenia must withdraw from internationally recognised Azerbaijan as per four UN resolutions. Praised Azerbaijan generally in its national conduct and governance
Yet come 2022 he said not a word about the exponentially greater scale of unguided projectiles used by the Russian military in Ukraine, justified Russia decision to attempt to settle the issue with force, described the annexion as reintegration as though it was reasonable for the Russian speakers to want to be with Russia rather than Ukraine not a word about it being internationally recognised as Ukraine. Yet if he was a person of principle he could have resigned upon Russia invading Ukraine and returned to the USA. Although to be fair he did condemn Azeri incursions into Armenia and blockade of Arktash in violation of the tripartite agreement. Perhaps the Kremlin has realised too late that Baku with its growing relationship with Ankara has played them and attempts to woo Azerbaijan back towards Moscow just as it was in the good old Soviet days by letting Armenia down (it’s loyalty can be taken for granted on the basis of its predicament with Turkey and Azerbaijan) have not impressed Azerbaijan and dismayed Armenia. Hence Armenians who think Russia is their utmost friend ought to be more realistic and open minded and less idealistic and narrow minded about what happened in 2020 and what happening to Russia since last year should demonstrate this.
After all the TB2 drones which savaged Armenians would also savage Russians little over a year later this should show that it was a simple case falling foul to a capable weapon not that an Armenia which had it been totally faithful to Russia could have avoided by its said abilities as was insinuated by people like the Saker and various pro Russian Armenians.
Last and not least it was curiousity that sent me and a sympathy for Armenia the first Christian nation and its hardships not anyone else!
Armenia has been taking delivery of Indian guided missiles and hopefully other military improvements can be made to safeguard what’s left from further aggression.
Charlie,
Brotherly advice, please leave the military topic to those who actually understand it. Turkey’s much vaunted Bayraktar proved to be a failure against Russia, as expected. So have Western air defense system, tanks and guided missiles. Don’t take my word for it, ask the experts. Listen bro, leave Armenian matters to Armenians. We’ll manage. Trust me. In some regards, your country is in worst shape. Please look up the most popular boys name in “Great Britain”. Get rid of your worthless “royals”. We Armenians have been around thousands of years. We have been through much worst in the past. Like I said, we’ll get through this as well.
Cut to the chase, Putin’s Kremlin has been very effective and successful in taking out undesirable, anti-Russian, political dissents who intent to pull away from Russia’s orbit or topple the government and install pro-Western government. So, do tell me ,Concerned politically Illiterate Armenian, what’s keeping Kremlin from taking out, Armenia’s smartest imbecile, and politically Illiterate convict, Pashinyan, and installing pro-Russia government? I can hardly wait for your opinion.
Jay, I see you are confused. Let me repreat what I said earlier. I hope this helps:
Armenians got their “democratic” wish in 2018 by putting into power Western and Turkish financed professional Russophobes.
Faced with a color revolution in Armenia, something Armenians had been trying since 2008, Moscow had one of two options at its disposal. 1) Make Serj Sargsyan’s regime violently crush the pan-Armenian effort to westernize and democratize Armenia, in the process causing the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of protesters. 2) Allow Armenians their wish, and then manipulate the situation in Armenia towards Russia’s benefit.
Expectedly, Moscow didn’t allow Armenia’s political crisis in 2018 to go to waste.
Moscow used the opportunity presented by the Armenian desire to embrace the Western world to its strategic advantage. Moscow did so by sacrificing Armenian interests in Artsakh. Moscow did this by cooperating with Turks and Azeris. Moscow did this to secure Russia’s southern flank in preparation of its war in Ukraine, which everyone knew was coming. Moscow also did this to punish Armenians. It worked. Russians managed to secured Ankara’s and Baku’s neutrality in Ukriane. Armenians were brought to their knees.
So, as you can see, Armenians had the opportunity to be like a Belarus, an Abkhazia or even a Crimea, Armenians instead chose to be like a Kurdistan. All in all, it has been Armenian style cognitive dissonance and political illiteracy at work.
Have I helped you better understand how and why we got to this point?
Hello Gurgen
Russia did eventually get the better of the TB2 drones after sustaining heavy losses, jamming and destroying the factory in Zaporozhia where the engines were made and shooting down, nevertheless they for a period did savage Russian military equipment in a similar manner to Armenia. As for the royals like many i wouldn’t miss them if they were no longer in place. Dianna Spencer had an Armenian ancestor from India who came to Britain around 1800 although it’s possible she wasn’t aware of this. Demographically Britain is doomed, Armenia may be less secure in the military sense but should survive as national people. Sometimes a stranger from can see in a way those there can’t perhaps is more dispassionate and more of a sense of context. @Concerned who constantly states that Armenians don’t know not merely unable to manage their own affairs and seems to ardently believe that Russia knows how to govern Armenia better than it’s own people which is well beyond the bounds of constructive criticism and reflection and masochistic and insulting view of his kith and kin. Why some breakaway movements fail and others succeed is an interesting topic in itself, for example Biafra in Nigeria and the Tamil Elam in Sri Lanka, indeed there should be more sense of context globally and less parochial thinking, a lack of international support for Arktash is something that should be acknowledged as one of the factors. Not taking note of goings on in other countries is niave and partially led to the catastrophe in 2020. For example when India defeated Pakistan in 1971 it returned most of what it captured as part of a peace settlement from a position of strength the relationship is still poor but it was on their terms. Even Israel withdrew from Sinai, Gaza southern Lebanon and allows limited autonomy in parts of the west bank again on its own terms of course the relationship is still poor but they essentially control the course of events. Even Syria withdrew by agreement from parts of Lebanon in 2007 when it’s position became hard to justify. Armenia should have offered to return most of parts of Azerbaijan outside Soviet N-K in exchange for a settlement. Instead it held on, engaged in maximilism, never seeking to properly integrate Arktash into Armenia and failed to realise that Azerbaijan military had improved markedly since 1994 , mistook how supportive Russia was to be in the event of an Azeri attack when it joined the useless CTSO. Russia after all never pledged to support Arktash only Armenia and in turn Armenia rested on its laurels and became complacent. I remember reading Wikipedia about Armenian military a few years ago and it somberly and presciently stated that Armenia would struggle to prevail as it had done before in the event of major renewed hostilities with Azerbaijan . . .
Sir Charlie,
Like I said, please leave the military topic to those who actually understand it. Russians went into this war with severe self-imposed handicaps because they were not interested in igniting the kind of war we see taking place today. You don’t go into a massive country with a massive military with 100,000 troops. Russians initially tried to scare Kiev into negotiations. This was the reasons behind Russia’s early setbacks. It was Western powers, including your government, that did their best to foment a full scale war – for the purpose of weakening Russia, even if that meant they had to kill Ukraine while trying. As for Armenians, I suggest you read what Concerned Armenian actually has to say. Fact is, Armenians are too inexperienced in politics and too few in numbers. Fact is, Armenia is a small, remote, landlocked and impoverished nation stuck in a sea of Turkic Muslims. If Armenia was located in Scandinavia or somewhere in central Europe we may have been pro West. But, in case you didn’t know, Armenia is located in the south Caucasus, and the best friend Armenians have in the area is Russia and to a lesser extent Iran. We will cast our lot with Russians because they are a neighboring superpower that is actually interested in preserving an Armenian nation-state. We will cast our lot with Russians also because Armenians have a shared history with them and are culturally similar to them. At the end of the day, the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t.
PS: Since 1994, Moscow had been telling Armenians to return the territories taken outside of Karabakh’s internationally recognized borders and allow Russian peacekeepers to stand between Armenians and Azeris. Had we done that our situation today would have been much better. What Armenians did instead was show Moscow the middle finger. The disaster in Karabakh is therefore 100% our fault. We failed to adapt to a changing geopolitical world. With the war in Ukraine approaching, we failed to see the writing on the wall. Ultimately, we failed to understand that the keys to the Karabakh dispute’s mutually beneficial settlement was found in Moscow. We are now at a point where if we are not careful we may even lose parts of Armenia. This is why we Armenians need to go back home to Mother Russia.
His entire life, Nikol dreamed of abandoning Artsakh, forgetting the Armenian Genocide, unconditionally opening Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey and, last but not least, bringing Armenia out of Russia’s orbit. Naturally, these unique characteristics exhibited by Nikol did not escape the attention of various intelligence services around the world. This essentially is how and why Western and Turkish interests helped place Nikol into power in 2018. This is not speculation. This can actually be proven in a court of law. Follow the money trail that paved the way to Nikol’s “New Armenia” (e.g. Soros’ Open Society, NED, USAID, British Council, European Council, large numbers of western financed NGOs, large numbers of western financed news outlets, money transfers from Baku to Armenia just prior to the “velvet revolution”, etc) and you will end up in Washington, London, Brussels, Ankara, Baku and perhaps Tel Aviv. To it’s utter shame and disgrace, the Armenian world, both native and diasporan, preferred to keep Nikol in power not once but twice, the second time being after the embarrassing defeat Armenia suffered in 2020.
Having much bigger matters to tend to in Ukraine, 2018 was also when Russia, which had been Armenia’s only lifeline since 1992, began pulling its protective hand away from both Armenia and Artsakh, but did so only slightly so that the two wouldn’t disappear completely from the map.
In other words, seeing that the Armenian world was desperately seeking to embrace Western powers to off-set Russia’s perceived over-influence in Armenia, protecting Armenian interests in Artsakh, as Moscow had done since 1992 at the expense of alienating Turks and Azeris, no longer served Russia’s strategic interests. With a major world crisis approaching, instead of moving closer to the Russian Federation, which would have been the wise move as Armenia was and continues to be almost entirely dependent on Russia for survival, by 2018 the Armenian world had effectively maneuvered Armenia into geopolitical isolation and a dead end. Just like how Moscow punished Baku in 1992, Tbilisi in 2008 and Kiev from 2014-present, Moscow also punished Yerevan in 2020. But, unlike what the Kremlin will do to Ukraine (i.e. Ukraine will cease to exist when this war is over), the Kremlin will make sure that an Armenia and an Artsakh survive in some form, as Russians still need Armenians in the south Caucasus as a geostrategic buffer against Turks and Muslims.
In a nutshell, we got what we desired in 2018. We then got what we deserved in 2020.
What I just described is how Armenians lost Artsakh. This is also why Armenia today is like a rudderless boat on a stormy sea with an incompetent captain at the healm. All in all, the last 5 years in Armenia has been a nightmare, and the toxic by-product of western-style democracy and Armenian-style political illiteracy. Consequently, Armenians have no right to complain today, as they were again the main authors of the country’s latest tragedy.
@Gurgen
Armenia wouldn’t be so small if not for the Soviet Union truncating it in collusion with Kemalist Turkey
Armenia will remain nationaly inept if it relies on Moscow , the narrowing of the gas pipeline from Iran at Russia behest for example it needs to grow up, the irony is Armenians have a historic diaspora and interactions with people’s all over the world and yet post Soviet Armenia paradoxically has a one track mentality compared to Georgia and Azerbaijan. As a people are often seen as rather insular which has advantages in that animosity to Armenians globally is negledgible but a disadvantage in lack of awareness to wider issues globally hence it’s debacle in N-K. As for military topic who really does understand? some of Russia’s conduct has been inept and what I’ve been trying to explain is the reasons Armenia lost in 2020 was due to being outmatched the insinuating notion propogated by the Russian chauvanists and the pro Russian Armenians of a stab in the back by Pashinyan and that had Armenia been in lockstep with Russia they would have would have been able to provide resources to brush off Azeri attacks is harder to rationalise now Russia has taken severe losses in Ukraine and the TB2 drones which savaged Armenians would do the same to the Russians themselves yes they have overcome the threat but not after significant losses. This offers Armenians regardless of their view of Russia and of Pashinyan to quietly see why they lost in 2020 indeed the insinuations popular in some quarters has faded somewhat since 2022. So Armenia should do what serves it best resist being beguiled by the west about Russia but avoid being beholden to Russia, remember Serbia reached out to Russia in the 1990s and it did more to anger the West than bring any relief from Russia
Charlie,
Stop with the nonsense. The center you work for hasnt trained you well. Let me repeat what I said earlier: there is a lot of disinformation and outright lies being circulated among English speaking Armenians. The treaty of Alexandropol that the ARF led Armenian government signed with Turks in 1921, left Armenia with 10,000 square kilometers of sovereign territory. After Armenia capitulated to the Red Army, Armenia became today’s 28,000 square kilometers. It was the British that first gave Artsakh to Tatars in Baku. It was the French that gave Cilicia to Turks. The “brutal dictator” Stalin turned Armenia into an industrialized republic, and against Turkish complaints put Mount Ararat on Soviet Armenia’s state seal. Armenia could have been bigger had we not trusted western powers and instead worked with Soviet Moscow after 1917.
Russia has been treating Armenia the way it has because Armenians are genetically predisposed to be pro-Western. I don’t blame them. In fact, I hope to see them acting more forceful towards Armenians.
Charlie, please do tell, does London try to create or maintain levers over countries it has a vested interest in? Does London use strong arm tactics against, for instance, Germany, Cyprus or even Scotland? Stop accusing Russians of doing things that Western powers have been doing for centuries. Your silly anti-Russian rhetoric is actually an indicator of your anti-Armenian intent.
I am pro-Russia because I strive to be on the right side of history. I am pro-Russia because I want to see the preservation of Apostolic Christianity, conservatism and classical European civilization. I am pro-Russia because I am pro-Armenia.
Armenia, as we know it, was put on the world map by the Russian Empire. Soviet Russia later turned Armenia into a highly industrialized republic with a cultured population. For the last 30 years, Russia has been post-Soviet Armenia’s lifeline. Nikol’s “New Armenia” is the by-product of the pan-Armenian effort to democratize, westernize and lessen Russia’s influence in Armenia. So, enjoy. You people really deserve it.
PS: Armenians who badmouth or fearmonger about Russia or Russians are working for Western and Turkish interests or insane, or both. No other explanation
“seeing that the Armenian world was desperately seeking to embrace Western powers to off-set Russia’s perceived over-influence in Armenia, protecting Armenian interests in Artsakh, as Moscow had done since 1992 at the expense of alienating Turks and Azeris, no longer served Russia’s strategic interests”
Quoted for truth. If Armenians had the wisdom of Abkhazians, Ossetians, Belarusians or Crimeans, Armenia would not be in today’s nightmare, which only promises to get worst.
Hello Gurgen
London does much of what you say better known globally as perfidious Albion. What i tried to emphasise regarding Russia is the fulsome praise can do no wrong, guardian angel type of adulation is an unwarranted infatuation that blinds to the realities which have become more apparent since 2020 that previously didn’t have to be faced. Driven by the well known circumstances with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Russia has been confident in Armenia loyalty and gratitude and dependency. I don’t work for anyone, if i may ask since you accuse me of doing so whom do you work for? Remember that with the Russian Revolution many parts of the Russian empire sought independence indeed the Bolsheviks nearly failed to succeed. Hence Armenia, like Georgia and Azerbaijan would become absorbed into the Soviet Union after a short lived independence. It was the Soviet Union that signed away western Armenia to Kemalist Turkey and returned to the pre 1878 boundaries in a failed attempt to woo Turkey to their cause of course Turkey like Azerbaijan today was no such fool leaving the Russians to be gulled once again the tartar is more willy than the slav it seems. So uncle Joe the Georgian approved of putting Mt Ararat on Soviet Armenia crest a poor compense for the Soviet Union having colluded with Turkey for them to take possession of it, what is known as a rum deal in other words as a bit of a con. As for the west i wouldn’t say it’s anti Armenian, being known for the people of Noah, first Christian nation, apricots, merchants skilled lapidaries and stone masons and the massacres by the Turks. However since the west is basically at war with Russia, Armenia as a legal ally of it even though not actively supporting it’s endeavour in Ukraine it can expect little support by the fact it’s a friend of an enemy even if not seen as an enemy itself. Also although seen as wayward Turkey being a NATO ally and gatekeeper to the black sea and generally strategically located is seen as more important to the west and probably Russia too actually. Azerbaijan is seen as a non Russian source of oil and gas and a way to monitor Russia and Iran and access to central Asia and to frustrate direct contact between the two. Armenia isn’t seen as much of an asset and of much value to the west. Yet this doesn’t mean that it’s more important to Russia than Turkey and Azerbaijan both of which are far more significant to Russia.
Charlie, you have been explained everything on multiple occasions. Talking to you is a futile endeavor, because you are either a strange Brit who supposedly wants to give Armenians advice, or you simply have a political agenda. I didn’t expect you to admit that you work for some government led center tasked with shaping public opinion. One more time: Russia and Iran are the ONLY natural allies we have. Armenia’s relations with Moscow soured when we Armenians took our eyes off that reality. Armenia will go back into the Russian world sooner or later and there is nothing anyone in Washington, Brussels or London can do to stop it. One more time: don’t worry about us Armenians, worry about your dying civilization. We will be around long after native Brits become a footnote in history.
FYI, Gurgen, Armenia was in great shape for over 30 years, until this social misfit by the name of Nikol showed up. This Convict Pashinyan, DOES NOT represent me or majority of the Armenians, be it in Armenia, Artsakh, or diaspora. I never liked him from the get go, he was a problem child clear back in his college years. He was expelled from YSU for causing political unrest on the campus. That Charlatan came to power by power grab, and forced Serj Sargsyan out of his path and proclaimed, ” Either I will be the next Prime Sinister of Armenia, or Armenia WILL NOT have PM”. So, around 400,000 Tribal Armenians voted for this idiot, and the rest is history. To compare us, with the latter group, is an insult to our intelligence. At Concerned, I wholeheartedly agree with with your last post. To go lil’ further, during the break-up of the Soviet Union, back in September of ’91, I was hoping the Russians would absorb Armenia and Artsakh combined, as the 16th Republic of the Russian Federation, since at the time RF was consist of 15 Republics. I believe today the number of republics in the RF exceeds over 21 countries. Inclusion of Armenia into the Federation could’ve guaranteed protection for,both Armenia and Artsakh no doubt.
PS: regarding Russia, agree 100 percent. The good news is, that’s the direction we are heading. Typically, however, we are doing it the hard and bloody way.
FYI, Jay, the 27 years of corruption, mismanagement and “complimentary politics” we had before Nikol was responsible for bringing us Nikol. 27 years of Western NGOs and the desire to Westernize Armenia brought us Nikol. Many of you here have no idea what you are talking about. Nikol was brought to power by Western and Turkish money, with the Diaspora playing a supporting role. Wake up.
Yeah right. Diaspora played supporting role. Let’s hear some evidence supporting your allegations, if not than shut your pie hoke.
Why don’t you start by asking diasporans you know weather or not they supported the revolution of 2018. I suggest you look up the political role played by the Hovnanians, Hovanissians, AGBU, American Armenian Association, Armenian Bar Association, AGBU, Civilitas, those behind the American University of Armenia, Asbarez, Armenian Werkly, Armenian Mirror, and a gaggle of other lesser known organizations that directly and indirectly facilitated Nikol’s rise to power. Why are you people so out of touch with reality? Amazing…
There’s more to the world than Russia what I had tried to emphasise is that Armenia needs to be more circumspect and pragmatic rather than the sentimental mythical notions about Russia that seem to be rather popular although has diminished just be realistic not this fatuous adoration. Realities have to be acknowledged, one can’t receive weapons from Russia via Georgia since 2008 and has to rely on Iran which Armenia can’t buy weapons from to avoid falling foul of the CAATSA regulations although can buy weapons from other countries although purchase of weapons from Russia might cause triggering of it. Accusing me of working as an agent of foreign nations and we don’t need your advice is sophistry from what one would rather not hear, truth hurts. Remember Russia stymied efforts to further relations with Iran wanting to monopolise although there was caution from Armenia regarding hostility from the USA and Europe about strategic partnership with Iran and for Iran as a self proclaimed (Shia) Islamic Republic it could only reach out so much to the people of the first Christian nation especially as Azerbaijan although testy with Iran is a fellow Shia nation. It was insularity and obsinate actions that led to the 1994 victory being squandered, but then knowing best and not needing advice nor observing matters elsewhere in the world as it’s not our problem and has no relevance to us in any way whatsoever. As for nationhood Armenia with a strong racial indentity is at risk of being overrun by hostile neighbours, the UK is not although its fizzling out demographically and if the proxy war with Russia becomes direct, a risk of being attacked.
One more time, Charlie: you have been explained everything on multiple occasions. Talking to you is a futile endeavor, because you are either a strange Brit who supposedly wants devote his personal time to give Armenians advice about things he know very little about, or you simply have a political agenda. I don’t expect you to publicly admit that you work for some government led cyber center tasked with shaping public opinion.
One more time: for better or for worst, Russia and Iran are the ONLY natural allies we Armenians have. Armenia’s relations with Moscow soured when we took our eyes off that reality. We wasted 30 years pursuing Western fairytales. Armenia will go back into the Russian world sooner or later and there is nothing anyone in Washington, Brussels or London can do to stop it.
One more time: don’t worry about us Armenians, worry about your dying civilization. Look up what the most popular boys name in “Great Britain” today. Trust me, we will be around long after native, White Brits become a footnote in history.