When Mikheil Saakashvili and his team were in power, they openly named the country which, in their view, was plotting against Georgia. Any opposition figure was labelled by the authorities of that time as an “agent of the Kremlin.” This was done personally by those in power, not merely by pro-government propaganda or satellite parties. Although this was clearly paranoia, I nevertheless see a certain honesty, frankness and—if you will—manliness in that approach.
Armenia’s current rulers lack that kind of courage. They speak in hints and euphemisms: “the interests of another country,” “foreign interference,” “external conspiracy,” and so on. Although it is obvious that Russia is meant, Pashinyan and his team follow the Harry Potter–style rule of avoiding names altogether — “the one whose name must not be spoken.”Otherwise, if they started naming names, it is not inconceivable that Moscow would demand clarification: what exactly do you mean, and on what basis do you claim that Armenia’s opposition is closer to the Kremlin than Armenia’s government itself?
Moreover, government propagandists and satellite figures insist that the “sweet” United States and the “sweet” European Union want the “established peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan to endure, whereas malevolent Russia supposedly wants a new war to erupt between us. But this entire mythology is undermined by Pashinyan himself, who in Moscow thanks Putin for contributing to peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This resembles a not particularly admirable character trait: saying one thing to someone’s face and quite another behind their back.
In reality, everything is quite simple. A myth must be “fed” to the regime’s own flat-minded electorate: that Russia and the Armenian opposition are endlessly fighting against Armenia’s sovereignty, while Pashinyan heroically resists them. The EU, in turn, provides money for this narrative. Yet in dealings with Russia’s leadership, all of this is forgotten, and the lion at home turns into a little kitty.
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Aram ABRAHAMYAN
