During the election campaign, this government labels almost everything as “historic” and “epoch-making.” For instance, Turkey’s so-called “symbolic gesture” regarding the Kars–Akhalkalaki railway, which is presented to the uninformed public as a form of regional unblocking. which is presented to the uninformed public as a form of “opening up.” Or Armenia’s arms sales to other countries, which are claimed to be happening “for the first time.” In reality, this is not the first time.
The same applies to EU visa liberalization—a process that began in 2017, allegedly under a “pro-Russian” government. Instead of taking effective steps in this direction during their years in power, the current authorities now promise that visa liberalization will be achieved within two years at the latest. They did nothing in eight years, yet supposedly they will deliver it in two. In reality, there are no political obstacles to this process (and there have not been any), but achieving tangible results requires precise and thorough work by various government institutions—something hardly expected from this administration. Even in an ideal scenario, the process would take 4–5 years.
Now, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Armenia. He is, of course, expected to express pre-election support for Prime Minister Pashinyan, but regardless of that, I consider the visit a positive development. Deep down, I also hope that, within the same framework of engagement, he will facilitate the return of several Armenian detainees held by the Baku regime. By the time this editorial is published, I hope this good news will already be known.
However, I am confident that the current Armenian authorities will once again present the U.S. Secretary of State’s visit as “unprecedented” and “the first of its kind in Armenia’s history.” The calculation is, once again, aimed at an uninformed and unsuspecting public. It is worth recalling that in 1992, U.S. Secretary of State James Baker visited Armenia. In 2010 and 2012, Hillary Clinton also visited Armenia, and during both visits she was serving as the U.S. Secretary of State.”. In 2001, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also visited the country.
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I mention this so that citizens understand: good relations with the United States are highly desirable for Armenia, but not at the cost of unfriendly steps toward Russia.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
