At this point, we are at war with Azerbaijan. Sooner or later, the combat actions will be resumed. We will not allow the enemy to Artsakh but unfortunately, we will have casualties irrespective of who the defense minister of Armenia or Artsakh will be. If I think that I can bring benefit to the defence of my country, I will go to the General Commander of the Armed Forces (no matter who he is and how I treat him), I will tell him how I visualize this defense and I will tell that I am ready to serve wherever this commander sends me during the war. As a civilian, I personally would also say so if the country feels the need for me.
It is another question if the man has political ambitions. In that case, it is very normal for him to organize rallies, give interviews, criticizes, debates, etc. (Although, in this particular Artsakh case, it seems a little bizarre to me that the current and former Ministers of Defense publicly debate on the military operations during the war. It is perhaps the “invention” of the Armenian democracy). The political fight is that you gather the people around you and prove that the current government is doing everything wrong, while you would do everything right as soon as you receive the relevant levers (the power). In that case, the messianic posture “I have come to save you” is absolutely justified. Just a clarity is needed, and perhaps, in that case, Samvel Babayan’s mostly just and correct criticism will be righteous.
Certainly, being engaged in political activities in Artsakh and Armenia is not so easy. There is a “power system,” which in the mid-90s created by the servicemen and field commanders, including by Samvel Babayan, and according to which any “man of authority”, neighborhood guy, “fidayeen,” “government employee,” Yerkrapah or bodyguard could beat anyone who would look at him or moreover, his “chief” askance and remain unpunished. Well, naturally, this system was also used for political purposes.
To say that today the same kind of people are operating in the same cynical way, I think, would be an exaggeration: the incidents have obviously become less. But sometimes, the so-called “recurrences” pop-up. In other words, the idea that a problem can be resolved by beating is still “smoking” in some people’s immature minds. The shortest way is to judge these people.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
