It was 61 years ago when Moscow concluded an alliance in Warsaw with Eastern Europe’s the so-called “socialistic” becoming, or more precisely to say, the states that have become as such by Stalin, calling is a Warsaw Treaty Organization. Its goal was to defend the “socialism achievements” from the West, in other words, the one-party system, the only state legitimate ideology of “socialism-communism”, the collective farms, the prohibition of private property, the lack of market, centralized planned economy and a number of other “goods”.
Certainly, the Europeans appeared in this “reserve” were feeling and seeing the entire misery of the Russian system and mode of life organization in the “socialist camp.” Eastern Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland revolted against this mockery since the Soviet years, and this system still would subdue rebellions and expose peoples’ patience to experience until the inevitable happened: the Soviet-Russian empire collapsed. On July 8-9, 2016, Warsaw that had already become a leading state in Central Europe hosted the summit of the most powerful and the most successful alliance in the history – the NATO Alliance.
The current Russia is again returning to its imperial roots, it is creating CSTO, EaEU and other “unions” with inharmonious sounding abbreviations, it continues opposing the West – already devoid of any ideas, weaker and more theatrical but not less dangerous. Russia unleashes wars, enmity and hatred in the territories under its reach and finds “friends” there in the face of the criminal, oligarchy and corrupt authoritarian regimes. And such Russia is also our “friend”. Armenia was the only one among these CSTO-EaEU member states that attended this summit at the highest level. Anyway, what should Armenia have said? NATO defined two directions of threats addressed to its allies: South and East. Whereas Armenia attended the summit a few days after the “successful” handing over of the air defense system to one of these threats – to Russia. Armenia has attended to discuss the issue of its concern in the circle that is so fat allowed to it and which is becoming smaller. The official Yerevan continues to talk about the desire to be guided by European values; it is cooperating with Western structures from which Russia was either expelled (Council of Europe, PACE) or Russia has self-isolated (OSCE). And it attends with delegations that are headed by pro-Russian individuals highlighted by even “average Armenian” standards. The rumors about the “balanced policy” between Russia and the West are no longer taken seriously.
Over the past two years, the voting of official Yerevan in various international platforms show that this policy has become highlighted by the dictation of anti-Western and Russian imperialistic interests, also anti-Georgian and anti-Ukrainian. Armenia’s politicians refuse to understand that there is no parallel between the “Russian Crimea” and Nagorno Karabakh, moreover, the attempt of such parallel is anti-Armenian and anti-Karabakh and also humiliating the dignity of the Armenian people. So, what is left for Armenia, after all, to say at the NATO Summit? In Warsaw, NATO announced, “We remain committed in our support for the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Armenia in line with others countries. And does Armenia itself adhere to its sovereignty defined by its Constitution? NATO announced that the countries themselves, without any external pressure, should make their own choice and that NATO continues to believe in united, free and peaceful Europe and will deepen its cooperation with its partners in the Baltic and the Black Sea basins. Is Armenia ready for this cooperation by the very ground? The NATO summit presented a questionnaire to Armenia and Karabakh. The answers to these questions, unfortunately, are outlined by the Armenian policy in the course of the last aforementioned history of 61 years, opposite to the direction and the logic. It is equal to the war against History.
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Does official Yerevan realize all this? Judging from the course, hardly. Because it does not burden its mind on such “trivialities”. However, the state in the Southeastern Europe with a quarter of a century of independence has no right to continue proceeding such “carelessly” by the traces of the collapsing empire. Who is going to assume the political responsibility of the great inevitable strategic turnover when the current government is already hopeless? This is the key question in the Warsaw questionnaire.
Ruben MEHRABYAN
“Aravot”
