The current authorities display an openly hostile attitude toward everything our nation has created over the centuries. I see in this a kind of ressentiment—a vengeful reflex of rootless individuals who are, intellectually and morally, somewhat stifled, seeking payback for their own spiritual inadequacy. Having found themselves at the helm by the twists of fate, these people seem intent on dismantling anything national—any achievement not associated with their own names.
Driven by this obsession, they have reached back into the depths of history. Historians serving the authorities claim that Gregory the Illuminator never existed—that he is merely a mythical figure; that Mesrop Mashtots and Sahak Partev were mistaken, that they were not advocates of independence but rather pro-Greek.
After such absurdities, any ignorant rambling or brazen hooliganism becomes easier to understand. Members of Civil Contract and state officials serving them (for instance, the head of the National Security Service) dare to refer to the Catholicos of All Armenians as “Ktrij Nersisyan.” Supposedly, it’s meant as a sign of contempt. In reality, it reflects an attitude toward one of our most fundamental national institutions and its hierarchical order. Pashinyan seems to believe that, having the courts and enforcement service in his hands, he can decide who should do what within the structures of our Church.
The same applies to the 1992–94 war and the liberation of Artsakh. According to this government, it was merely an “adventurism” of the Russians and Ter-Petrosyan, aimed at undermining our sovereignty.
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Over these 34 years, even in peacetime, we have had victories—above all in sports. These victories carry crucial national significance: they are what make Armenia respected and recognizable around the world. One may view Gagik Tsarukyan in different ways or reject his political activity, but any unbiased person should honestly ask: would these victories have happened if he had not devoted decades—and all his resources—to Armenian sports?
Now, through the same obedient “courts and enforcement services,” they are trying to dismantle Armenia’s Olympic Committee. The immediate reasons may be political, tied to electoral calculations or perhaps personal ambitions. But at its core lies the same hostility toward the national.
…And that’s how it turns out that our most important national value, our most essential tradition… is barbecue.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
