Last week, in Istanbul, the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), wrapping up its task, adopted an extensive and controversial communiqué, in which the 16th and 17 points refer to the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
It is noteworthy that in the formulations of threatening and accusatory nature addressed to Armenia, the mediation mission implementing OSCE Minsk Group and the co-chairs thereof are not even mentioned. At the same time, Armenians are accused of allegedly attacking mosques, killing the praying Muslims and of other horrible things which, of course, has nothing to do with the reality.
It has been repeatedly spoken and will be spoken one principle thing, the Karabakh conflict has no religious overtones, the Republic of Armenia and Armenians have not and cannot have any problem with Islam and Muslims, and the Karabakh problem has no connection with Islam.
It has been said and will be said but the question is as follows: Turkey together with Azerbaijan using the populist stance of the “main defender” of Muslims – the Saudi Arabia – are always able to “sing” the same “song” at every regular meeting of the OIC.
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It is not only news but also a fact that old and new problems of Armenians and Armenia with aggressive neighbors have no way affected our friendly relations with Muslim societies and states. Moreover, despite the Karabakh war and the conflict, there are no changes in the attitude to Armenians in Arab countries, in Iran. Several Muslim countries’ embassies have and are operating in Armenia and the established friendly relations are continuing.
Therefore, by the very first impression, the share of artificiality, contradictory and populism are very big in this shameful history of communiqué. It also became known that, as reported by Iranian sources, in February, experts had gathered in the Saudi Jeddah who were to work on the final text of the Istanbul Summit communiqué and, for example, the Iranian experts were not issued an entry visa to attend the meeting. Then, it was written what they wanted and sent to Istanbul Secretariat. Four points were “devoted” to Iran by addressing a number of accusations, starting from supporting the terrorism up to ending the interference in the internal affairs of Muslim countries. This compelled Iranian delegation led by Chairman Rouhani, to leave the summit early by refusing even to join the farewell table.
In other words, on the one hand, this communiqué, however, does not mirror the true sentiments of the Muslim countries over Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the other hand, it shows that the Armenian diplomacy in this direction, as well as in all other directions, is naked and barefoot, it has no strategy and no security context. And this is already a threat. Apart from Georgia, all our neighbors are Muslim countries, there are also Muslims in the North Caucasus, the Kurds are also Muslims. Therefore, the Muslim subjects make up the immediate environment of our security. And we have no right to overlook the efforts of Turkey and Azerbaijan to “sell” their old and new problems with Armenia and Armenians to other Muslim countries as an inter-religious conflict by introducing Armenians as Islamophobe, which is actually groundless, and instills aversion against Armenia and Armenians. This issue, however, confronts the same weary obstacle. The Armenians Arabic studies, the Iranian studies, Turkology and Islam studies, unfortunately, do not want to abandon the patterns of Soviet understanding, often pursuing not our practical interests of the independent state, based on the strategic calculation and initiatives but campaign purposes. And very often, even this campaign is not servicing us but Russia, with whom our interests and historical experiences have nothing to do in this direction too, the “ceiling” of our imaginations is limited to the local Armenian communities’ perceptions while the interest of the Republic of Armenia and the strategy of those interests is not formulated with Iran, the Arab world, the North Caucasus, Kurdish entities and the multi-million Muslim Armenians.
The catastrophic lack of the state thinking, the intellectual laziness, the fear of non-standard thinking, the Soviet mold of “academic” mental weakness covers the Armenian political mind, and on this background, we will always be “fed up” with such documents, in the hope that the water drop by drop will make a hole on the stone one day unless they have come to senses…
… In general, forget Russia here too. Here, Russia cannot help us, moreover, we should not allow Russia to spoil and destroy everything. The only guarantee not to die after the dying empire is in crafting your own security environment with your own mind and hands. And the vital importance of present and future co-existence with the Muslim neighbors is difficult to overestimate. It is also highly remarkable that our strategic partner Russia having an observer’s status in this organization seems not expressed itself and has not even tried to interfere in the adoption of this communiqué. And it would be naïve to consider this surprising. Moreover, this is very normal. The more are the problems of Armenia, the more is the chance and “reason” for Russia to “rescue” us.
By the chance of history, we have a great experience, good or bad, yet since the Arab Caliphate times when the Arabs were developing algebra, chemistry and the best medicine and translating Aristotle and Plutarch… And we must not give a chance for the anti-Armenian campaign under the banner of Islam. The important ones of the commandments of Islam along with the universal values have been and are violated by Aliyev and Erdoğan regimes at the state level. Hence, they must have a problem with Islam but not us.
Ruben MEHRABYAN
