By Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, C.M.
The domestic political life of Armenia, with its daily new developments, recently has taken on a new and worrisome dimension.
Under the influence of the successive major crises that have occurred in the past year, over a month ago, I expressed my thoughts in a long and comprehensive essay entitled “Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora: Facing Great Challenges in the Next Era,” which received a wide response in the Armenian and English press. The thoughts expressed there remain relevant today.
Its urgent message is that in order to prevent greater and irreparable new losses, it is necessary to urgently create a National Salvation Strategy Body, with the best elements of our nation. In the international political immoral circus of these days, this body should lead the strategic activity of Armenia with the consolidation of nationwide efforts. It was emphasized that this initiative should be taken by the government, and everyone, the opposition, the homeland’s intellectuals and all the important structures of the diaspora, should show their sincere and complete cooperation.
However, today, it is observed with deep pain and disappointment that, apart from the wide response in the press, and apart from Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia’s positive and constructive, yet limited initiative, not a single action has been taken on this matter, which is a central problem of Armenian national existence. The Armenian government itself remains motionless. Is the majority of the Armenian world in a deep stupor or has it reached a dangerous level of impotence?
In fact, today’s authorities, and especially Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, continue to act in an unchanging, despotic manner. It is obvious that the latter still believes that “he may be responsible, but he is not guilty” for all the serious losses of Armenia and the Armenian people, which he has led by means of his unfortunately inconsistent, contradictory and confusing policies.
I write the present article to sound a new alarm. It should be clear that, as always, my point of view is neither pro-Pashinyan nor anti-Pashinyan.
Starting from the principle of prioritizing the supreme interests of our people, I arrive at my conclusions based on the objective and obvious data that is revealed to any rational observer every day.
Indeed, during the last few weeks, with special speeches in the National Assembly, and also with special interviews outside of it, the prime minister unexpectedly, with great diligence, suddenly pushes forward a series of new proposals that have not been elaborated until today. They are questionable, short-sighted and dangerous.
Under the current circumstances of existential worry for the Armenian state and people, we all hope that the leadership of Armenia will work day and night mainly to concentrate its forces for defense against our neighbors around us, as well as to shock the indifferent and immoral international states, flood them with persuasive information, and secure their cooperation, all of which is difficult work required in this situation.
However, instead of all this, today’s government, led by Prime Minister Pashinyan himself, suddenly started a few weeks ago to present a series of humiliating proposals that are half-concealed, but for careful analysts, obviously defeatist and designed to please the enemy.
The first in this series of proposals happened when the prime minister suddenly created a completely inappropriate if not ridiculous storm with speeches lasting hours concerning replacing “Armenians’ history” [Hayots badmutiun] with “Armenia’s history” [Hayasdani badmutiun], and creating a question of secondary importance in the context of the serious problems of the day.
While people were busy with absurd issues of this type, the prime minister and his small group of associates in the National Assembly, suddenly and again unexpectedly, started to raise a number of issues leading to much more serious consequences. The Declaration of Independence of Armenia, the Constitution, the Coat of Arms, and the Anthem were put under question with dizzying speed. Unbelievably, they even dared to question the importance of Mount Ararat, one of the greatest and indisputable sanctities of the Armenian people, giving the pitiful justification that after all Ararat currently is not found within the boundaries of Armenia.
Serious voices in Armenia and the diaspora pointed out to the prime minister and his direct associates that this attack unleashed against all these symbols important to the statehood and identity of the Armenians represent useless and inconsequential demoralizing steps taken simply to please and give in to the condescending demands of Turks and Azerbaijanis. In response, they tried unsuccessfully to completely deny this evident circumstance.
However, the self-spoken confession came from the prime minister himself when, with the intention of convincing the people, he gave the story of bulls for explanatory purposes, which simply caused laughter. Adopting a thoughtful attitude, the prime minister “explained” to his listeners as follows. Currently, he said, Armenia is trying to advance safely on a road on both sides of which bulls are lined up ready to attack. Then he added that Armenia should be circumspect and careful and remove all the “red clothes” on it in order to calmly continue on its path. This is how transparent his strategy is.
Perhaps the prime minister has missed the fact that in the traditional contests held in Spain, when people face the bulls, they will hold in their hands deadly swords prepared for taking them down. When the bull attacks a bullfighter with excessive force, the latter, knowing that he is facing the choice of life and death, mercilessly plunges his sword into the bull’s heart. It is necessary for Prime Minister Pashinyan to consider this last image pertaining to his story of bulls.
How much awareness of national dignity, responsibility and security is required to reflect that Armenia should first of all have in its hands the most effective and modern weapons of self-defense corresponding to the sword of the bullfighter? Is it necessary to reiterate the well-known popular saying that the most effective way to ensure peace is to be prepared to the maximum extent for a possible war?
The current defeatist policy of Prime Minister Pashinyan and his associates, by appeasing our insatiable archenemies, the Turks and Azeris, trying to satisfy their successive and endless demands made in the familiar style of the Mafia, will voluntarily lead us to the situation of one hundred years ago. At that time, the defeated Republic of Armenia was forced to sign the infamous Treaty of Alexandropol. This appears to be happening now without attempts even to try to avoid this situation, taking advantage of all the alternatives provided to Armenians one hundred years later.
So, today we are forced to declare that the prime minister’s proposals to save Armenia from its current impasse are wrong.
Creating a so-called new “legitimate constitution,” replacing “Armenians’ history” with “Armenia’s history,” and especially denying that Mount Ararat, the centuries-old symbol of pride of the Armenian people, is Armenian, will not lead to salvation, nor will any other concessions.
Instead of all those humiliating and fruitless steps, today’s urgent demand is to unite the all-powerful forces of our people from Armenia to the diaspora and put them to work with smart and flexible means, so that they organize the hard work of warding off the current danger of the complete loss of the homeland. We hope that we are not already too late.
The solution to this urgent existential problem requires, on the one hand, that Armenia provide itself with a modern and powerful system of self-defense as a matter of priority. On the other hand, with the same importance, it should endow itself with a body that creates a high-level strategy for national salvation, and even more so, a body with the full capacity to deal with political issues, led by individuals who have the best experience, cunning, knowledge and especially, the ability to predict future moves with the ingenuity of a chess master.
It is clear that today’s authorities, after the defeat of the 44-day war, and after that with their almost daily failures – the last and most shocking of which was the complete loss of centuries-old Armenian Artsakh in 24 hours – can no longer claim to believe that they are capable of shouldering this great responsibility on their shoulders alone. Morally, they are obligated to humbly request the support and cooperation of all the capable elements of our people.
Otherwise, they are not allowed to lead Armenia involuntarily to the point of signing a new and shameful Treaty of Alexandropol.
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
