The subject of “Aravot” online “Face to Face” talk show is discussed by Stepan Grigoryan, the Head of the Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation, and Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan, editor of Times.am.
Aram Abrahamyan – First and foremost, was this assassination political or non-political? If it was not a political one, then there is particularly nothing to discuss.
Stepan Grigoryan – I think Nemtsov was a man of the scale that looks like more a political one. A man that was one of the opposition leaders, a man who was actively criticizing the government, his death is clear cannot remain without consequences and leaves its trace. In my opinion, the most worrying fact, including for us, must be the fact that there is such an atmosphere in Russia, which allows for such murders. If it had happened in Yaroslavl or Novosibirsk, you could tell that it is a problem of some internal squabbles, and is likely to be associated with some specific cases of lobbying. But when killing occurs in approximately 100 meters distance from the Kremlin walls, it’s obvious that it’s more political. And it worries us, because we became a member of the Eurasian Union, and it turns out that such a brutal environment exists “inside the leading state”.
A. A. – Do you agree that it was a political assassination?
Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan – Absolutely. I do not know the motives whether they were political or there were personal problems, but the fact that Nemtsov was a political figure, and his death should have gad political consequences, therefore regardless of the reasons and regardless of the quality of clients, yes, this was a murder having an impact on the political processes.
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A. A. – And if it were because of a woman?
H M.-Sh. – Even in that case, I must say that an opposition leader have actually come out of the arena, consequently, it will have political implications, and this in its turn leads to the persuasion that there is a political component in this murder in all cases.
A. A. – The next day after the assassination, Putin said that it is a pure political crime, and ordered and is very similar to the provocation. And a few days later, Lavrov said that this assassination should not be politicized. Don’t you see contradiction here?
S. G. – I do not see any contradiction, since today’s Russia’s policy is very interesting. If you have noticed, even on the issue Ukraine and many other issues, the same Putin regularly changes his position. He can generally run a very rigid policy in the world, exert pressure, change the rules of the world game, but tactically, Putin often changes his accent. I do not see much contradictions here, but Putin’s this statement is not for domestic consumption, because the atmosphere in Russia is as such that there is a large percentage of people who are in favor of this policy. I am also sure that many people in Russia are indifferent to this assassination. The statements are directed to primarily Germany and France, as Germany and France are running the so-called “prudent” policy and are constantly trying to engage Putin in the dialogue, it was directed to them to be able to protect Putin in the face of America so that no new sanctions are applied.
H. M.-Sh. – We all know what high reputation Putin has in Russia, and thanks to what he has accrued this reputation, including on the issue Ukraine in the result of very sharp and decisive position. Whether there will be sanctions for it or not, I’m sure that Nemtsov’s case will just provide an informative background for decisions incurred from other reasons.
Complete discussion below.
Prepared by ARAM ABRAHAMYAN.
