Armenia seeks 'bypassing route'

Armenia considered itself to be “integrated into world community,” as well as an “advanced” republic in the South Caucasus for the simple reason that it had contacts throughout the world thanks to its diaspora. Many Armenians had relatives in Damascus and Lebanon. When the Soviet Union collapsed, few doubted in Yerevan that Armenia would receive financial benefits via foreign investments from the diaspora and lobbying in the most influential countries.

Certainly, no one could imagine that Armenia’s path to the outside world would lie through Azerbaijan, and few lobbyists in Paris and Los Angeles would become involved in regional economic projects. Their wealthy compatriots have been slow to invest funds in Armenia. What is really most surprising is that without normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia will not be able to exit regional isolation and revive its economy.

Another episode of political manoeuvring is taking place in Armenia right now. Failing to open its borders with Turkey without settling the Karabakh conflict, Yerevan’s hopes and dreams have crumbled into dust. The normalization of ties with Turkey has been postponed indefinitely, and hopes that the diaspora could lobby effectively have died. Now Yerevan wants to "get close" to Russia.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan did not even travel to Karabakh to celebrate the anniversary of Shusha’s capture and chose instead to stay in Moscow for the Victory Parade. It is unlikely that he did this out of respect for the memory of fallen soldiers. Yerevan is hoping to convince Moscow of its loyalty.

This is yet another sign of Armenia’s “movement” toward Moscow. Yerevan is confident that Russia should exert pressure on Ankara to reopen its border with Armenia without waiting for a resolution to the Karabakh conflict.

However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s Turkish agenda abundant with economic and this had made Armenia even more nervous. In fact, Moscow and Ankara openly call each other "strategic partners" who are willing to cooperate not only in economics, but also in politics. On this backdrop, Russia does not need a notorious Armenian "outpost" on the border with Turkey.

But oddly enough, Armenia continues to believe that one day "everything will turn out okay” without altering its diplomatic perspective. Worst of all, though, is that Armenian politicians just can’t understand that it is already the 21st century, and progress must be made through open discourse and adherence to international political norms. Russia, the United States, France and Belgium have their own national interests and these are dearer to them than obscure Armenia.

The tragedy is that no one has explained to Yerevan that the world does not have a "moral obligation" to the Armenian people, and their infantile policies are a path to national destruction.


/Day.Az/