As per Ruben Mehrabyan, in case of any complaint that the “cherry is expensive,” he would get a slap from “Eurasian” merchant – Artems
– Since Armenia’s independence, first time, the Communists came out into the street last week, and were presenting complaints not of a traditional social nature, but were calling for the authorities to sign the document on accession to the Union initiated by the Kremlin a day earlier, moreover, they were praising the President of the Russian Federation. Mr. Mehrabyan, do you notice a change in the policy of the Kremlin in Armenia? Is the activation of Russia’s influence forces the evidence of it?
– Under the auspices of the Kremlin in Armenia, in recent years, a counter-system with its constituent elements has been carefully formulated, which nowadays unanimously has called to an action and is killing our independent statehood, and is breaking the backbone of civil society. These elements are: totally corrupt criminal-oligarchic system, Russia-influence agents occupying high governmental and “non-governmental” positions, mass “media-confusion” resources, the current advocators of Russian “morality”, and the misery poverty-stricken, desperate, and, accordingly, waiting for “miracles”, and “saviors” searching layer. This is what we have in the result of the “traditional”-vicious perception of the Armenian-Russian friendship, which is imposed on Armenian people for decades. May 1st was a small demonstration of it. The “love” to Russia expressed at the Russian Embassy by a group of wandering people deeply immersed under the temporary victory of the “great” Putin and the Orthodox-fascist “values” shows what kind of distress once Georgia avoided, when the government expelled Mr. Volinkin from the country for impertinently breaking all diplomatic norms. Yes, this is not the Embassy of an ally state, but the Embassy of poorly latent fascism with misanthropic and anti-fascist slogans. Yes, this is Russia now, unfortunately, and will still be so until Putin’s regime will appear in the garbage heap of the history. There is no longer the usual “bear.” Forget about it. Now we are dealing with a mutant, which intertwines the scavenger hyena attacking from the back and the wild ape.
– What is expected of Armenia’s membership of the Customs Union? Recently, former Acting Minister of Economy Vahram Avanesyan has said that it is possible for Armenia not to sign the CU accession document, and immediately sign the Eurasian Economic Union accession agreement. Can Nagorno-Karabakh be possibly an obstacle on the way of Armenia’s Eurasian integration, and the CU member states more explicitly protect the interests of Azerbaijan?
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– It does not matter at all what will be signed or not, if we approach the question in essence. These documents, which do not have even the cost of a few boxes of paper, eventually are called to something, to maintain and enhance the situation that prevails in the Armenian-Russian vertical relations. Yes, the Karabakh issue will inevitably be exploited in the meantime. The Azerbaijan’s interest, here, is not the point. It refers to the interest of Kazakhstan, Belarus and, of course, Russia, which is the instigator and sponsor of this problem. Armenia has what to say and to do here, but given that the oligarchy achieving some revanche with the formation of a new government in our country prefers Gikor’s posture in the foreign policy arena, then it is clear that in case of any complaint that “the cherry is expensive”, will definitely get a slap from “Eurasian” merchant-Artems. In other words, Armenia will wait there behind the door on what will be decided for it, and whether something will be decided or not. This is also a great and very topical issue, given the dynamic international developments with regard to Ukraine.
– As we know, there are quite disagreements between the CU member countries. Belarus and Kazakhstan are demanding eliminations of some economic restrictions. President of Belarus A. Lukashenko recently announced that the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union must be delayed for 10 years. Can this issue get solution? Will Russia be successful to find common language with these countries?
– Russia has conducting an economic policy of a “hatchet”, in using any of its advantages as a tool of blackmail and pressure, as a means of pocketing the “oily” shares of its neighbors. This is true for Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and other former Soviet Union countries and the EU. Hence, here, of course, disagreements have arisen, and Lukashenko’s frustration is very understandable. It is also clear that such economic policy conducted by Russia is contraindicated to any integration project, be it Customs or Eurasian, or other unions. These unions itself are artificial, and taking into account that in the result of Putin’s “genius” policy in Russia, the country inevitably will arrive at a severe economic crisis, then I am sure that the life will force to put an end to this “Custom-Eurasian” circus.
– The West put the next wave of sanctions to action: freezing of accounts, visa restrictions and certain limitations of operations of Russian companies in the West. How will these sanctions affect the Russian economy? Do you think that the political situation inside Russia may change in this context?
– The developments in the last few weeks indicate the degree of difficulty and reluctance by the West in imposing sanctions against Russia. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia made big steps towards the integration to the global economy, by creating diverse and deep ties with the European Union, the USA, and China. As a result, Russia became rich or upgraded. Being a part of Europe in terms of culture and civilization, all possibilities and roads were open before this country to become a normal, independent, and democratic state. But, it happened vice versa, since there was also the other side of the process in the meantime. An official of Cheka revanche occurred, and a class of current and former forces intertwined with the criminal possessed the whole wealth of the country through terrible looting. And the West, demonstrating, so to speak, a positive approach to Russia’s and post-Soviet regimes thinking that time all smooth all disadvantages, now is facing the cruel fact of crashing all its illusions, quite unprepared. Approximately the same picture happened in Europe in the 30’s of the 20th century, when the continent newly recovered from the past terrible wounds of the war was seeing but not noticing the birth of a new and more terrible monster and the threat of a more terrible war, it did not want to believe its eyes, and had fallen into vain illusions. I am sure that this historical experience, however, was very well learned in the West, and they simply will not allow some complex “alpha-male”-offspring get along with the annexation of the Crimea. I am also sure that this is just the beginning. The sanction mechanisms are gradually improved, and now there is no need to punish the whole country, which, unlike the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany, does not have even allies. It is enough to punish dozens of people who have turned the country and the state into a criminal tool and a few monopolistic companies and economic sectors controlled by them. The most important thing here is the solidarity and united position of liberal democracies, which so far principally is there, regardless of some circumstances, which are quite surmountable. And the Russian economy, as I said, will inevitably sink into a deep crisis, which cannot avoid resulting in political changes in Russia. It’s another question what these changes will be… In any case, we should now think about post-Putin and post-Russian period following the post-Soviet period.
– Under the position of the U.S. and EU against Russia, the regional conflicts aggravated, such as the Trans-Dniester conflict. Is it possible for the South Caucasus to become the next target and particularly, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
– It is not only possible, but highly likely. If we try to look at the post-Soviet area by Moscow “staff officer’s” look, then it becomes clear that to hamper the European process of the post-Soviet states it is necessary to influence in two directions: Eastern European and the Caucasus. There is no other direction. Today, Russia is deep in blood until the elbows on Ukraine, by choosing this country as the main direction and target, and the Caucasus has so far only an auxiliary role. Here Russia’s steps in the future will be directed to maintaining and, possibly, strengthening its levers, and preventing any process that would be contrary to its imperial interests. However, later, or in parallel to this, the approaches in Moscow may change. The Kremlin may force Aliyev Azerbaijan to unleash a short-term war against Armenians so that to come for “salvation” some time later. Its prerequisites unfortunately exist: the sale of assault weapons to Baku, Dugin-Zhirinovsky-Markov howls in Russia, a new wave of hysteria in Azerbaijan associated with “Armenian spies”, shameful persecutions against civil activists, zoribalayan “discourse” in Armenia and so on. Anyway, I want to believe that after all the historical experience and strong rationality in Armenia and Azerbaijan will be stronger to be able to keep our countries far from the risk of appearing under the ruins of collapsed empire, moreover, to build joint peace in our region in the nearest future by putting aside the temptation of being an instrument for some “big brothers”, and avoid resembling the countries of “unlearned lessons”.
Emma GABRIELYAN
