Armenia participated in the second conference, “For Democracy,” initiated by the USA. As a state-political regime (regime) regulating internal life, democracy has no alternative in the case of Armenia, of course. But in the case of such conferences, I think democracy is something like a sect, which helps the US distinguish between “its own” and “not its own.” I have already had to write that in foreign policy, it is not so important who is a democrat or an authoritarian. By the way, Zambia, the “co-host” of the event, can hardly be called a torchbearer of democracy.
Speaking at the plenary session of the forum, Prime Minister Pashinyan thanked the USA and other partners for helping us stop the “further invasion” of Azerbaijan into the territory of Armenia. It was a controversial “thank you” because it contained a hidden reproach directed at Russia and the CSTO, which did not help us. Second, thanks are given when the danger is over. And in our case, there is no guarantee that the “further invasion” will not continue tomorrow or in a week or a month, and anyone, except the Armenian army, will be able to stop it.
All this is taking place in the background of the talks about the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by the Armenian National Assembly. Those countries that have ratified that charter have formal grounds to arrest Putin if he appears within their state’s borders because the abovementioned court has issued an arrest warrant for the President of the Russian Federation.
No one is going to arrest Putin. The order and the statute’s ratification by any country are purely symbolic. But symbols are significant in politics, so Russia has threatened us with terrible consequences in case of Armenia’s ratification.
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We need to join the charter, not for Russia but to speak out about the war crimes of Azerbaijan worldwide. The statute should have been ratified long ago (at least after 2016). But doing so now is pure adventure, which I hope our government will not go for.
The fact that Armenia refrained from joining the paragraph condemning Russia’s aggression in the declaration of the “For Democracy” conference inspires some optimism. The content of that paragraph certainly reflects reality, but it was right for us not to join it.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
