“If the choice is between Pashinyan and Russia, I would prefer Pashinyan.” That is the thesis pushed by the regime’s propagandists who pose as “ordinary citizens.” First: that juxtaposition is incorrect — you can compare like with like, for example a pear with an apple, a Samsung phone with an iPhone, but not a pear with an iPhone. Therefore a person should be compared to a person, and a state to a state. Who, then, are the alternatives to Pashinyan — or more precisely, to the force he leads? In my view, all genuinely opposition political forces. The propagandistic thesis I mentioned implies that all of Pashinyan’s opponents are controlled by the Kremlin. No serious evidence is offered in support of that assumption.
A country should be compared with a country. Russia? Or… The authorities, as an alternative, offer us France, the EU, the United States. But those countries or institutions have minimal vested interest in events in our region. The actors with real interest, of course, are Turkey and Azerbaijan — whose interests the current authorities are all too eager to serve.
Another similar trick of the regime’s propaganda is “either Pashinyan, or war.” Here Pashinyan’s propagandists play on people’s very natural fears . In reality, as is now commonly said, that is a false agenda.
Peace can exist both during Pashinyan’s tenure and without Pashinyan. In the second case, peace might be more dignified. War can happen both while Pashinyan is in power and after a change of government. In the latter case we might be better prepared for war, at least psychologically, because we would not feel as broken, shattered, and desperate as we do now. (The authorities spare no effort to make division, misery, weakness, and the perception of “being defeated” become the mentality of our society.)
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So to present the peace that Pashinyan supposedly brought as a campaign promise is, to put it mildly, dishonest. The issues of peace and war, let us admit, are often resolved far from Yerevan and Baku. Within our means it is our task to secure the most dignified peace possible and, at the same time, prepare as well as we can for war. Having Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister and Civil Contract party in parliament, neither of those things is possible.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
