The topic in online Aravot’s “Face to Face” talk show is discussed between political analyst Sergey Minasyan and “Heritage” party spokesperson Hovsep Khurshudyan.
Aram Abrahamyan – Is yesterday’s referendum in Crimea an annexation by Russia, or exercising the right to self-determination?
Sergey Minasyan – Annexation will take place when Russia will legalize it through its Federal Assembly. Today, Russian Foreign Ministry made a statement, which says that it was not an annexation rather than the possibility remains as a lever in the negotiation process between the West and Ukrainian new authorities. Russia is using it as some kind of tactical leverage to gain time, or vice versa, it is the means of final pressure, in the result of which Russia wants to get what it has already said openly – the federalization of Ukraine, Russian as a second official language, and the status of Crimea, which its population would wishes to have.
A. A. – In other words, Russia promises not to attack, roughly speaking, Kharkov, Donetsk, and other regions, if its terms are carried out, is it?
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S. M. – In fact, I think Crimea is not the matter that Russia wants from Ukraine in these events, but along with it, Crime is the easiest way or the easiest chance that it can take, and it happened easily.
Hovsep Khurshudyan – I definitely agree that as soon as legalization of the findings of the referendum is available, it would be already an annexation. But the matter that Ukraine has become a victim of aggression, it is a fact, in short, Russian troops have left of the territories (the bases) allotted to them by the contracts. Obviously, their troops are walking around and overseeing the whole Crimea, and very often it is difficult to compare any other determinations of similar kind in the past, because, first, this referendum was carried out in a very short period of time, they had decided on it within one month but reduced to 15 days, during which it is physically impossible to present the two views to the public. I agree that Russia does not only need Crimea, Russia need the whole Ukraine. In other words, not to allow Ukraine leave the zone of its influence, in fact, the formats can be different, it was not necessarily to enter the Customs Union, there could be another format of contract, which, in any case, would at least keep Ukraine as a buffer zone guarantee for Russia. However, the Kremlin’s reckless policies resulted in the fact that as of today Ukraine is gradually getting consolidated against Russia, even the Russian-speaking population, and in reality the significant portion of Ukrainians are Russian-speaking. These steps just result in the reverse reaction, directly to the enhancement of dignity. Especially the campaign over TV channels brings to direct hostility.
A. A. – Ukraine has become the victim of Russia’s informational and military aggression: is it correct, or not?
S. M. – I think that it is not only about Ukraine. What happens in Ukraine, it’s Russia’s experience to create some new international situation. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has stated or proposed to provide the so-called neutral status to Ukraine followed by the resolution of the UN Security Council. It is clear why, not to have some high level relations with a NATO member, and why not the European Union.
A. A. – These events of Crimea had been adopted by the enthusiasm of the Armenian community, I was talking with 2 officials, and they said that it’s about the same enthusiasm as on May 9, 1945. Was the Armenian community oriented correctly?
H. Kh. – I’m not only familiar with the orientation of the Armenian community in Crimea, moreover, I also saw a tape, which was posted on the official website of the Union of Armenians of Russia, on how Ara Abrahamyan, together with a group of Armenians, participating in the rally held in Moscow, he was welcoming and encouraging the Crimea to join Russia. Anyway, it must be said that it is a little exaggerated, and we can not accept such extreme attitudes, neither this nor that side. Because, for example, there is also a vast Armenian community in Ukraine, and Armenians, as a rule, should maintain neutrality in such disputes.
Prepared by ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
