“What is the position of the Armenian government on Lavrov’s statements?” Artur Sakunts, the Head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, asked a similar question during the discussion on “Who is generating anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia?” ” Do the NGOs?”
On October 12, after the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS in Bishkek, in a conversation with journalists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “As for the escalation of anti-Russian sentiments, it is done artificially by non-governmental organizations. We know how many non-governmental organizations have been established in Armenia in recent years; there were many before. These organizations are not created to promote friendly relations between Armenia and Russia but the opposite. They aim to create a basis for anti-Russian sentiments and try to advance the interests of the USA, EU, and NATO in the region through Armenia. We see these attempts; they reach some result.”
Artur Sakunts, the Head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly
According to Arthur Sakunts, the government of Armenia should have responded to Lavrov’s statement because it refers to public units operating in the Republic of Armenia. It is a direct threat and targeting of civil society institutions. He reminded that during the last meeting of the CIS, there was also information that they will present a list of NGOs of the CIS member states whose actions they consider unfavorable.
“I do not consider this information and approaches accidental because the second official of the Kremlin regime gives assessments. On the other hand, such a demand is presented within the framework of the CIS interstate structure. What is the position of the RA government? At least there should be a reaction at the level of the foreign minister, not to mention the deputies; what is your assessment? “Does this silence mean we agree, or should we think that this list will be given and steps will be taken according to it,” he said.
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Sakunts said that he does not consider it a coincidence that Lavrov’s thesis was thrown into the field at this stage, with which he accuses Armenian NGOs. “The fact that the regime of the Russian Federation is applying all the actions of an apparent hybrid war against Armenia is a fact. It is a different question of how Armenia prevents the attempts of that hybrid war. If we consider the behavior of the authorities, it is not adequate. And in that sense, he most likely had leverage to influence the government because Nikol Pashinyan announced that the vector would not change.
It means we continue to participate in CIS and CSTO meetings or remain part of EAEU. Not to mention the political forces, most of which are pro-Kremlin. And there is no critical word or attitude stance on the Kremlin’s policy towards Ukraine, the activities of the so-called Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, or the security issues in interstate agreements.
Who is left to present precise positions on the policy of the Kremlin regime, that is, the civil society? They decided to target the civil society because not only do they not have any control mechanism over them, but they also have no levers of influence,” he said.
According to Sakunts, if the Russian authorities identify the Kremlin regime and the state with each other, it is called a dictatorial regime. “In other words, they identify that the bearer of all Russian is the government itself; that is, there is no other opinion. And the behavior that they have shown since 2005-2006, when in Russia any other opinion different from the regime is not only not accepted, but persecuted and killed, now in terms of steps towards spreading their imperialist influence in the post-Soviet region, Armenia has seen them as the main link of resistance regarding the NGOs,” he said. The lawyer also added that the Kremlin regime is inherently anti-democratic and against human rights. “Staying in uncertainty in terms of security, in terms of the vector of the country, this is an irresponsible approach on the part of the Armenian authorities,” he said.
Rosa HOVHANNISYAN
