About 10 years ago. on April 19, 2006, the German Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung newspaper published the then National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan’s interview, in which he has said that “Armenia’s future is the EU and NATO” and “Russia must not stand in the way to Europe.” This statement was strongly criticized by the then President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, who said on television that Baghdasaryan’s statement does not mirror the official standpoint of Armenia and probably expresses the changed opinion of the Speaker of the National Assembly. There was an apparent contradiction between the two officials on the most important issue of Armenia’s foreign policy, and it should quickly result in the resignation of the Speaker of the National Assembly which took place in the same year, on May 29.
Today, Arthur Baghdasaryan will hardly express an opinion that he sees the future of Armenia in the EU and NATO. Working in the post of Chairman of the National Security Council (to the point, this position is vacant for two years, due to which it seems there is no disaster, accordingly, it can be assumed that this post is not so important), the contacts with Bordyuzha and Patrusheev, probably, persuaded the head of the RoL party that Armenia’s function is to be Russia’s outpost. Formerly Rule of Law, currently, the “Armenian Rebirth”is opening a social branch in Moscow, Kobzon welcomes it, the RoL party members slam the current authorities for not being sufficiently pro-Russian. The leader of the RoL party is giving extended interviews not to Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung but the Russian official media. It is not excluded that the contacts with Russian-based Armenian businessman Ara Abrahamian play a role here.
I am illustrating this small example not for saying anything negative specifically about Baghdasaryan or the RoL. The whole problem is that all major players of our political field are displaying such a conduct. Certainly, all of them say that they are not seeking a “power center” and swear by a bell that their main concern is only the interests of Armenia. But in reality, they are much more “pragmatic” and are guided exclusively by their own political interests. There is nothing terrible in it, simply there is no need to pretend.
There is also a very important nuance here. In 2006, Putin was not so “angry” and was not forcing us to join the Customs Union, had not seized the Crimea from Ukraine and had not attacked Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Accordingly, I think that as of today there are almost no politicians in Armenia who would declare that our country’s future is the EU and NATO. Today, it is simply risky.
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Aram ABRAHAMYAN
