ColumnsTashjian's Take
Iran calls for a “Wake-Up Call” to Moscow in South Caucasus
The post-November 10, 2020 geopolitical reality in the South Caucasus and the shift of balance of power have created not just an unfavorable situation for Armenia, but for Iran as well, which felt isolated from the region. Despite Tehran’s pro-active engagement towards the region, Iranian experts and politicians felt their legitimate concerns were being unheard in Moscow.
Many even publicly criticized the Russian leadership for working against Iranian interests in the region by cooperatin
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This article raises many good points. However I would like to emphasize it is not because Iran DOESNT WANT TO help, but rather it is being exhausted on all fronts. People who have influence on security and government matters in Iran have a bond with Armenia and if push comes to shove, will defend Armenia. I believe Armenia needs to reconsider its ties with Russia and push Iran to assert its stance on the matter. I would also like to see more more military trainings between Armenia and Iran, joint drills, and a transfer of Iranian drones to Armenia’s defense apparatus.
Russia underestimated the apatite of Pan Turk for expansion. As a matter of fact they are more dangerous to Russia than Ukraine or even the west as a whole. Turks are waiting like a pack of Wolves for their chance to go for full aggression against Russia in Crimean peninsula, Chechnya, Dagestan and Tataristan. They do not hide their ambition to that extant at all. As every one knows so called “Turkey” was established by Imperialist England at the end of the 1st world war in area where historically used to be called Anatolia, and more than half of its population were non Turk at the time of establishment in 1921 and even most of the other 50% had been subjected to Turkification by well known Turkish barbarities. Real Turks are in minority in Anatolia and Caucus, but because of their political power they have brainwashed so many people whom wrongly called themselves Turk, like Mustafa Kemal of Albanian or Slavic origin and his step daughter Sabiha(Arabic name) Goken(Turkish name) of Armenian origin whom assimilated to the extent that participated in the infamous massacre of Kurdish shiha in 1936 to 1938 on behave of so called “Turkish” state.
Russia is not abandoning the south Caucasus, nor is it abandoning Armenia. Russia is however punishing Armenia by cooperating with Turks because Armenians chose to remain outside of the Russian World, and in 2018 shamelessly elected a “Soros government” so to speak. Nikol and his professional Russophobes were elected not once but twice, the second time being after the disastrous war in 2020. Armenians put Armenia into the situation it is in today. Consequently, Moscow is sacrificing Armenians interests in Artsakh and is doing so for two fundamental reasons: 1) punish Armenians for not joining the Russian World, 2) pacify the south Caucasus by cooperating with Turks.
Let’s remember that Moscow did the same with Azeris when Western powers bribed them (i.e. aid, loans, grants, etc) into putting into power an anti-Russian leader in 1992. That is the real reason behind how/why Armenians won the first war in the early 1990s. 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 their history. Armenians also 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 when Western and Turkish money brought Nikol and firends to power. 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 against the West in Ukraine. It worked for Russia, it was a disaster for Armenia. All in all, it has been Armenian-style cognitive dissonance and political illiteracy at work.
By joining the Russian World, Armenia could have been like a Belarus or an Abkhazia, Armenians instead chose to be like a Kurdistan. So, stop complaining and enjoy the fruits of democracy and westernization. The good news however is that despite how repugnant Armenians act on the political stage, Russians and Iranians won’t let Armenia disappear from the world map due to strategic reasons.
But Russia is not punishing Armenia by handing Artsakh to the Turks They are giving Nikol exactly what he wants. Those of us who never supported this are being punished, we are the only ones who ever cared about Artsakh.
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 and impoverished country. Nikol is only the toxic by-product of the pan-Armenian effort to “democratize” and “westernize”. Got got what we wanted in 2018. We then got what we deserved in 2020. Armenians are not ready, nor do they deserve independece. After seeing what we saw during the past 30 years, if 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 will it be for Armenia.