And to go forward in small and calculated steps
Is the allegation true that Russian President Vladimir Putin is corrupt? Or, it is an aspersion and Putin lives in a modest annual salary of 110 thousand dollars. It seems that the answer to this question is simple for the whole world. There are reasons to believe that the majority of Russian citizens also know that their president is the country’s major tycoon. Simply, deep in their soul, they believe that it should be so, who else should be the richest man in the country if not the Tsar. So, when Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov is saying that the US Deputy Finance Minister Adam Shubin’s statement about Russian president’s being corrupt, it is “reflected” to at least 100 million people who support Putin’s politics, he is correct only partly.
Yes, this 100 million “supports” but these millions do not care of the allegations about Putin’s being corrupt. “It’s ok if our king is corrupt, – think those 100 million, – instead, we have returned the Crimea. Georgia, Ukraine and Syria are afraid of our powerful weapons, we give a dignified counterattack to the “Pindoses” and “Gayropa.” (When we talk about the Bolsheviks’ and the Stalinist regime crimes, then perhaps the greatest crime was the planned annihilation of the intellectuals and leaving the public without the “think tanks” causing this world perception).
You can disagree with such a mindset. However, for Armenians, two things are important: 1/ to consider that our strategic partner is guided by these values, 2/ note that this way of thinking, sooner or later, will lead to another collapse. This, particularly, means not to take part in the initiative which is possible to avoid. For example, it is predicted that in the near future, the West with its propaganda goals will drag Russia to Hague court for the “military crimes” committed in Georgia and Ukraine. It is assumed that Russia would try to create an “anti-Hague” for Poroshenko’s similar actions, as well as prior to it, for American’s atrocities in Vietnam, or in the 90s, the Croatian Army’s massacres in the Serbian Krajina. It seems to me that it is quite possible that Armenia would not take part both in “Hague” and “anti-Hague”.
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In addition, we should not hurry, for instance, to announce Ukraine our almost “hostile”, nevertheless, “pro-Azerbaijani” state. It seems to me that our politicians and media do not have sufficient information about the activities of that country. For example, they argue that during the latest PACE session, Ukrainian delegation – the whole staff – voted in favor of the two anti-Armenian resolutions. While according to the voting results posted on the PACE website, the Ukrainian delegation voted for Robert Walter’s report as follows: only four members out of the 12-member delegation of Ukraine took part in the vote: Serhiy Sobolev, Oleksandr Bilivol, Mustafa Dzhemileve, Andrey Lopushanski, who voted in favor of the report. If the remaining 8 had attended and voted in favor of the report, then the number of votes in favor of would be 72 rather vs. 70 against. It perhaps is a small example of something that we should not be guided by biased opinions and prejudices, “as long as Russia is our bro and Ukraine is Russia’s foe, then our relations too should be bad.” No such simplistic logic operated in the international relations, and no need to groundlessly be hostile to the countries that can be our friends on many issues.
To announce right tomorrow that we are independent of Russia, we cannot do it, it will be an adventurism from our side. But to make small steps, as well as to be ready for a possible collapse, we are obligated. For example, let’s take the economy. In Russia, as we know, there are two major economic entities: the monopoly “Gazprom” and “Rosneft”. Putin’s “corrupt schemes” are based on them, about which Adam Shubin was talking. But it is not necessarily for these schemes to be moved to Armenia too and our oligarchy will get use of it. Russia does not compel it to us. Russia does not also compel us to rig the elections.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN,
Aravot Daily
