“Eurovision ” Song Contest final results, later the visit of the French President to Armenia, Charles Aznavour’s concert, later the unexplained noise over Gyumri technopark seemed oblivious to an event of last week, which, however, should not be neglected for a long time.
I was talking about the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volinkin’s one literally cynical and provocative statement that he had made in the interview to the Moscow-based Rusian-Armenian newspaper Noev Kovcheg ((«НоевКовчег»), “I believe that Russia should remind of its own presence in Armenian informational sphere. There’s no doubt about it. However, additional methods should also be used in order to neutralize the NGOs, which are striving to drive a wedge between the Russian-Armenian relations. Russia, in fact, has adopted a law that clearly regulates the NGO activity.” (see “Liberty” Radio station website, http.//goo.gl/j1VH6t). Moreover, as conveyed by “Liberty” radio station, on May 9, Volinkin announced that he would never take his words back (http.//goo.gl/xC0AMD).
Volinkin is a typical representative of the Putin elite returning or already returned to Soviet. In the eyes of Putin and his surroundings, spies are seen everywhere. It seems to them that if you criticize Putin, or Russia’s policy, let’s say, in Ukraine, then you have a foreign agent, they miss “People and Party are United” false slogan of the Soviet Union, they imprison any dissident…. This is Putin’s Russia, “fine tuning” USSR. “Fine tuning” is the tolerance by several parties. Nothing else…
But, I do not care of their country, if they wish, let them make the dissenters sit on the stake or restore the Stalin’s camps. But they have decided to pull others by their way.
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Anyway, Volinkin is not guilty for his cynical and provocative statements. He proceed from the interests of his dictatorial empire. Culprit is in today’s authorities of Armenia that tolerates people like Volinkin and does not declare him “persona non grata”. But, above all they are to be blamed, because they wanted Volinkin to feel himself as a Viceroy of the Empire and scold freely.
Is Volinkin guilty for Armenia’s seventy or I don’t know how many MPs, only and solely to extend Serzh Sargsyan’s power, made the country appear in the slavish dependence on Russian “Gazprom”. And if these seventy or I don’t know how many MPs raised their hands like slaves, why should Volinkin respect Armenia and our laws? And not only Volinkin. Such and more provocative statements can be made the driver of Volinkin’s assistant or the mistress of the guard working for “Gazprom”…
When in 2013, September 3, Serzh Sargsyan announced before Russians the total and unconditional capitulation of Armenia, the government ode-reciters began to explain it in consideration of the safety of the country. I do not like to cite from the air, but I could not find the author and the source of the words below (it simply impresses me, if someone can tell me the author, I would be grateful), “The one who prefers security to freedom, eventually loses both, the independence and the security.” If in the 90s of the last century, the leadership and people of Armenia had thought like today’s authorities and had preferred the security to freedom, today we would have neither independent Armenian-state, nor liberated and independent Artsakh. There were whimpers then, too, who were saying, “You want freedom, but have you thought of the security…?”
With his one statement, Volinkin only confirmed the truth of the aforementioned words. His statement meant, “Nuts to you independence! As a representative of your security “guarantee”, you will do as I say…”
History has shown that trusting the security to Russia is the same as in the well-known anecdote, before the long journey, the king is locking a chastity belt to the queen and is giving the key, in his opinion, to his loyal friend saying that only he could be trusted. He has not yet left the city. The friend is breathlessly running after the column and reaching tells the King, “My Lord King, you had given the wrong key.” The difference is that Serzh Sargsyan, his circles and will-performing seventy or I don’t know how many MPs had given the very key in the hands of the Russians… And he freely uses this key.
As you see, by Putin’s Russia and Volinkin’s standards, I, too, “like individual circles” (this is also ambassador’s idiot phrase) drove my wedge in the Armenian-Russian relations, because I dared to say something different other than the opinion of those praising these relationships and their Armenian yes-men.
But if you think better, you will understand that they are the ones who drive a wedge, we are the wedge removers from truly friendly relationships (not of their pictured relationships).
MESROP HARUTYUNYAN