Why do we pulverize national interests of the Republic of Armenia?
After sad events in Kessab, the Armenian audience had appeared in a strange propaganda and information process. With regard to Ukraine, on the background of the West-Russia strained relations, Kessab even left the topic of Crimea in the shade.
Initially, the information about Kessab events was proceeding in the field of rational, in terms of information-reaction, despite of some lack of information. On the night of March 21 and the morning of March 22, Syrian rebel groups intruded from Turkey into the Turkish-Syrian border Kessab settlement, which resulted in evacuation of several hundred Armenian families to Latakia. President Serzh Sargsyan’s quick response and NA MPs’ visit to Syria was absolutely justified. The appeals of Armenian organizations to the international community were not only necessary, but still it is necessary to try getting an explanation in a consistent manner why the Turkish invasion to Armenian-populated settlement of Syria is being ignored by the international community as a violation of international norms. However, in the end of last week, the Russian propaganda machine, it seemed, took Kessab events under the domain of its influence. Mass media began to disseminate horrifying video, in which the execution of Syrian soldiers in Aleppo by shooting is introduced as Kessab peaceful Armenian residents, hence, the Armenians throughout the world during these hours appeared in the trap of Russian propaganda. However, it turned out that this is not just an information-propaganda “weapon”. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov’s Twitter post about “Armenians’ execution by shooting” in Kessab brought some clarity. In recent days, Russia’s compassion towards Armenians continues in different variations. That’s not all, it turns out that even the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is with us, who in his Instagram page complained of the European countries and the U.S. authorities for keeping silent. “Where is the democracy of Europe and the U.S.? Why are they silent? Why do they deliver hundreds of dollars, weapons and special equipment to rebels who are against the legitimate government of Syria, killing women, elderly and children?” Now, a situation is created when the Russian authorities seem to know a lot more about Kessab events that the Government and the MPs of Armenia. We can somehow understand our authorities, they cannot record that the Russian mass media and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister’s post does not meet the reality. And if Russians are more informed than we, it means that our parliamentarians were unable receiving appropriate information about the situation, moreover, official Yerevan does not duly respond Kessab tragedy.
However, it is clear that we have appeared in the field of Kessab tragedy after post-Crimean events, later, in the field of Russian interests, and we should try to understand what’s going on. If the West punishes Russians with Kessab, then it is worth thinking about its reasons why Syrian Armenians are in the state of being deprived, although Armenians have not started leaving Syria only 10 days ago, and for the sake of fairness, we must record that those who are making calls in the last few days to support Syrian Armenians, they could have specifically contributed to this support in Armenia, because there are Syrian-Armenians in our homeland, who had arrived in Armenia long ago and are unhappy with the opportunities in the medium business and are thinking of leaving Armenia since they encounter various challenges here. In Syrian conflict, the West, Russia, and Turkey have their own interests, and in the result of conflict of interests, we should probably wait long for the Syrian conflict settlement. But the entire problem is that appearing into artificial hysteria provocation, fortunately, under the the absence of information about murders of Armenians in Kessab, we identify and equalize the undeniable fact of the Armenian Genocide with Kessab tragedy.
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Isn’t this a dangerous path for Armenians in Armenia and around the world…? Yes, we need to support Kessab Armenians with all possible means, starting from the state level up to the activities of lobbying organizations.
But why have we begun to pulverize the public interest of the Republic of Armenia? Why have we become the weakest link in the confrontation between the West and Russia: the Crimean referendum, voting in UN, and now Kessab tragedy? Why have we become the most suitable field for expressing Russian interests…?
Emma GABRIELYAN
