According to “Aravot” interlocutor, political scientist Aghasi Yenokyan, “only Russia benefits from what Nikol Pashinyan does.”
– During the nine-month blockade, Nikol Pashinyan put all the responsibility for the Artsakh issue on the Russian Federation and the peacekeeping troops, and he signed documents on the solution of the problem on Western platforms, declaring Artsakh a part of Azerbaijan. The prevailing opinion in Armenia is that Artsakh was handed over to the Russian Federation, “ignoring” the people of Artsakh, many of whom, after the 2020 war, hoped that Artsakh would become a Russian protectorate and the Armenian population would remain in Artsakh. Why did Russia act like that? Why are the state and people being punished as a result of Nikol Pashinyan’s actions?
– Both in our region and throughout the world, the main thing for Russia’s policy today is the war against Ukraine. While preparing for this war, Russia needed to provide a strong back and have “its agent” in NATO, Turkey. Moscow used Artsakh and Armenia to pay Turkey for these services. In this logic, one should look at all recent developments, starting with bringing Nikol Pashinyan to power in Armenia, collapsing our army and diplomacy, and ending with the inevitable defeat in the war and the placement of Russian troops due to the war.
Before blaming Russia, Nikol Pashinyan should answer the question of who nullified the efforts of the Minsk Group, who brought rusty weapons and non-firing planes, who appointed bad commanders, whose absurd orders resulted in thousands of victims, who made our defeat inevitable, and as a result, who brought in the Russian “peacekeepers” and made the security of our country dependent on just that one factor? Moreover, handing over most of Artsakh to the Turks and withdrawing the Armenian army from there before the Ukrainian war were only advance payments paid by Russia to Turkey.
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The second tranche of the cost was to depopulate Artsakh and hand it over to the Turks completely. The fact that Nikol says certain things in the West and signs some papers worries Russia only to the extent of what useful things he will extract from those papers and how to blame Nikol for everything. It doesn’t matter what Nikole says or signs; what matters is who wins due to it all. And in this case, it is Russia.
Political scientist Aghasi Yenokyan
Therefore, it is at least not logical to talk about Nikol’s pro-Westernism because only Russia benefits from what he does. At the same time, Nikol’s “pro-Western” or “anti-Russian” statements also serve Russia’s interests, first of all, in the sense that any steps taken by the Kremlin are explained not by Russia’s political goals but by simple annoyance at Nikol’s words. Moreover, when Russia takes Nikol out of the case, it can be revealed again as a friend of the Armenian people and explain all the problems brought to Armenia only by the person of Nikol, and if he is eliminated, Russia becomes a virginal sister.
– The statement of the President of the Russian Federation that it is not fair to accuse Nikol Pashinyan of handing over Artsakh because it was the choice of the Armenian people was also noteworthy. What is the explanation for the Russian President’s care towards Nikol Pashinyan?
– This means that at this stage, Nikol still has new services to provide to Russia, and further actions are expected from him. Of course, before these new services, Nikol will make anti-Russian statements again, on Putin’s order or based on the situation; that is a secondary question, but it is also part of the logic mentioned above. And it cannot be denied that Nikol is the choice of the Armenian people.
It is obvious that the Armenian people have lost their immunity and their instinct of self-defense. How the Armenian people got infected with acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a matter for another discussion, and accusing the people of killing themselves is not a new methodology either. Until now, fascist ideologues, including in Russia, blame the Jewish people for the Holocaust they organized and carried out against themselves.
– What speculations do Nikol Pashinyan’s clarifications about enclaves and the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” give rise to in the last interview given to the public television company?
– I think enclaves and the “Zangezur Corridor” are the third tranche of Russia’s payment to Turkey. It is obvious that if the enclaves are handed over, not a civilian population will be placed there, but garrisons, and in this case, peace in Armenia can never be talked about or dreamed about again.
As for Nikol’s long and empty arguments regarding the corridor, it is evident that the Meghri railway will pass through the territory where the Russian border guards are located; they will control it, and Armenia will not have anything to do with it. Russia assumes that it will make good money and control the relations between the Western and Eastern Turkish worlds. Not only peaceful cargo but also troops, tanks, and missiles will go from Turkey to Azerbaijan by railway, and we will only have to gnash our teeth impotently and curse the “Armenian donkey mind.”
Interview: Nelly GRIGORYAN
“Aravot” daily, 13.10.2023
