Did Ayvazyan save the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by resigning without taking on the responsibility of agreeing on a possible anti-Armenian initiative?
On May 31st, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ara Ayvazyan, had a final meeting with the MFA staff, and several things he said during his speech were quite noteworthy, particularly when he noted that he defended our country’s sovereignty, independence, and national and state interests, and he is sure that he did not leave with shame. But now he is resigning, and logic suggests that there were some deviations that the acting foreign minister opposed, or that they were not in line with his principles. Moreover, Ayvazyan even explains that his decision was conditioned by that very reason, so that there is no doubt that the MFA can take a step or give consent to some ideas or initiatives “that are against our statehood and national and state interests.” In other words, did Ayvazyan save the MFA by resigning without taking on the responsibility of agreeing on a possible anti-Armenian initiative?
For diplomats, Ara Ayvazyan said more than what was allowed, so to speak. Therefore, for the Armenian political and law enforcement spheres, that statement was said enough, so it should really give some food for thought.
Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson, Mane Gevorgyan, immediately responded to Ara Ayvazyan’s statement. “In any case, we believe that our national and state interests demand that Mr. Ayvazyan publicly explain who, when, where, and how he was demanded to take steps or make decisions that go against our country’s state and national interests.” In the current situation, it would be more correct for the head of the government to explain why the diplomat who held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs is leaving with such a statement. It can be assumed that other diplomats could have left the MFA together with Ara Ayvazyan, which means that there are issues in the MFA of our country. The diplomats have disagreements regarding issues of our sovereignty, independence, and protection of state and national interests. And if Ara Ayvazyan is hinting at such issues, then there is no doubt that the situation in the MFA is more complicated than one could have imagined.
Read also
In the post-war period, the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is more important than ever. It is a difficult time period for Armenia and all Armenians. It takes a lot of effort and daily work with partner countries and with lobbying organizations. Ara Ayvazyan’s public assessments were correctly calculated and weighted with specific targets and clear directions. His statements sometimes even gave the impression that he did not represent the point of view of the government headed by Pashinyan, because we are used to hearing statements that are vague, confused, contradictory, and sometimes absolutely uncalculated, and that are not in Armenia’s interests. And Ara Ayvazyan seems to have taken on the task of correcting, editing and clearly formulating the interests of our state by the head of the Armenian government and the ruling political force.
In general, the Armenian law enforcement bodies should be interested in why Ara Ayvazyan emphasized the steps taken against state and national interests in his speech before resigning. If a member of the government hints that the national interests of the state of Armenia are endangered, then adequate steps are needed, and not at the level of the Prime Minister’s spokesperson who says, “If you have something to say, say it.”
The guarantors of statehood, sovereignty, and national interests are all the state bodies of the Republic of Armenia. They all equally share the responsibility for what has happened so far and what will happen in the future.
Emma Gabrielyan
