SIGNS OF REASON FROM CENTURIES
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir.am
9 Aug 06

Most probably, the dispute over the historical mission of Armenians
emerged earlier than the Armenians. Although it is highly disputable
whether the Armenians emerged at all. It is possible that they are
just forming although the scientists might know better, maybe also
the clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who have often come in
touch with the Armenians in different historical periods. Perhaps
nobody knows the answer to this question. And it is interesting that
nobody seeks for the answer. Everyone is interested in the historical
mission of the nation rather than its being or not being. But it is
already good if there is at least one thing connected with the nation
that interests some people.

However, it is bad that some people decide to fulfill this mission
without knowing what the historical mission of the nation is and
without having the answer to this question. This is not terrible but
when these "apostles" set out, the ending is always the same.

And what happens always? Extreme. Some people think the purpose of the
nation is revenge and a sea of blood, others think that the misison
of the nation is to act as the dove of peace and solidarity in the
South Caucasus. Moreover, it is a rather new mission, the so-called
"revelation of our days" versus the "vision of blood". That mission
did not justify itself, and it seems there is no hope that it will do,
and now we are assuming the new mission of a peacekeeper, hoping that
it will justify itself.

The image of a peacekeeper has not been more effective than the
bayonets. And now the Armenians are going through transition from
bayonets to headscarves used so far by Muslim women, who throw their
headscarves between fighters to reconcile them. I did not recall
the Muslim women accidentally because the example of one of them
prompted me to write about the mission of our nation. Several days
ago Arzu Abdullayeva, the representative of Helsinki Civil Assembly
of Azerbaijan was invited to Armenia and Karabakh. It is clear
that the invitation is in the framework of European peace loving,
which is often expressed in grant programs. Armenia and Karabakh
was opened before Abdullayeva. They even took her to the prison of
Shushi to prove that there are no Azerbaijani prisoners there. As if
Abdullayeva would go to Baku and declare jihad to release hostages
if she did not become convinced that there are no hostages in the
prison of Shushi. As if in Baku they were waiting for her appeal to
become convinced and capture the prison of Shushi. In other words, we
narrowly escaped the Azerbaijani tornado, when they took Abdullayeva
to the prison of Shushi. Well, she became convinced that there are
no prisoners, she went to Baku and announced that she had never seen
worse conditions than in the prison of Shushi.

It is possible that Abdullayeva made a correct observation, maybe
the worst conditions in the world are in the prison of Shushi. But at
least this should make Armenians not to take Abdullayeva to Shushi and
show her around the prison. They should have thought before taking her
to the prison that if an Armenian defender of human rights wished to
visit a similar place in Azerbaijan, he or she would never come back,
they would not even show this place to him or her on the map. Whereas
we open everything, let them come and see and go and tell whatever
they want. It is important that Europe can see how open we are,
how very open. And Europe likes open things, no matter what.

The same was with the Azerbaijani news reporter invited to Armenia
several weeks ago, when he came and stayed in Armenia for several
days. Certain representatives of the public sector shed peace-loving
feelings, whereas he went back to Azerbaijan and mocked at the week
spent in Armenia.

The Azerbaijanis visiting Armenia and Karabakh do not do anything
condemnable. They do not come here to make up with us; they come to
study us and when they get back home, they tell what they and their
public need, to convince that they are better than Armenia. In other
words, in Azerbaijan they do not think about the historical mission,
they think what mission they have now. And now they have a common
mission – to discredit the Armenians and Armenia. They do not care for
Europe. Maybe because they have oil and they do not care if Europe
likes it open or closed. It is also possible that the Azerbaijanis
are not suffering from the syndrome of peace loving because they
have never suffered from this disease. Maybe everything is ahead for
them. But we are concerned about our problem. By the way, by saying our
problem we must imply the same nation they think about day and night
and is opened to the world to come and see and compare. It would be
too good if they appreciated. They do not do, they go and say that it
is the worst. Of course, it is not. And we can see when some people
made money by shouting revenge and calling for struggle for decades,
and now others have realized that money is in eternal love. However,
it should not be forgotten that love for money, even if it is eternal
love, is given another name.

Of course, this does not mean that Armenia should go in for militarism
and lock its doors. No, absolutely no, as one of our presidents
would say. But not every door can be opened. How about national
traditions? But you cannot live on the tradition, and Europe does not
give much importance to traditions. In this case, it would be good
if it were possible to stop somewhere, in the middle of the passage,
when we would be rather far from bayonets and the headscarves. But
the Armenians have never managed to stop in the right place and time
to manage this time.

The nation is going ahead, but it does not know where it is going
to stop.