Once again, I’ll write something that doesn’t quite fit the “oppositional trend.” The subject is the much-discussed issue of Kazakh wheat. In my view, it is absolutely pointless to debate what grade that wheat is, or whether bread can be baked from it. (It would be a different story if fourth-grade wheat had been sold to us as first-grade.) Especially for those who lived through the hardships of the early 1990s — their stomachs, as the saying goes, “won’t be shocked” if they eat bread made from lower-quality grain.
As Facebook chatter, of course, the topic is entertaining enough — but in substance, it means nothing. The issue is neither the quality nor the quantity of the wheat. In reality, it is a purely political matter.
For the first time, Azerbaijan has agreed to allow a shipment intended for Armenia to pass through its territory. While this does represent progress, it is limited. It’s hardly the world-shaking event that Civil Contract (the ruling party) tries to present it as. A genuine breakthrough would be the reopening of the Ijevan–Gazakh Soviet-era railway line.
Our website’s analyst Hakob Badalyan has already examined in detail the political — and only politically significant — dimension of this “wheat story.” According to him, the project is being implemented under Russian mediation and, to some extent, competes with the TRIPP initiative announced by the United States. The European Union also wishes to join Trump’s program, but for now, there is no clarity on that front.
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Naturally, the more communication routes Armenia has with the outside world, the better. But for now, it’s unclear what else, besides wheat, will be transported through this route — and whether Armenia will actually be able to use it to export its own goods. Or was this simply a one-time gesture meant to create the illusion of “unblocking”?
As for the debate about what “grade” the wheat is — that, I think, is pure trolling.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
