"DASHNAKTSUTYUN" – TIMELY PATRIOTIC IMPULSE: TREND COMMENTATOR
Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Trend European Desk Commentator

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 29 2009
Turkey

On the backdrop of active foreign political processes in Armenia,
the country’s government faced an unexpected interior split which
is inseparably connected with Yerevan’s foreign policy. And it
should be accepted that this is a timely patriotic impulse of the
"Dashanktsutyun" party.

The "Dashanktsutyun" party’s differences with the remained members of
the Armenian ruling coalition around foreign policy were "irresistible"
and "Dashanktsutyun" left the ruling coalition of Armenia on April 26.

Moreover, the party’s officials announced that the "Dashanktsutyun"
will act as a new opposition and intends to become a full alternative
to the current authorities by offering their own programs and solutions
on domestic and foreign political issues.

It is surprising that one of the four ruling parties, which of course,
has political weight and influence on decision-making suddenly rejected
the president’s policy and, in addition, joined opposition.

Chairman of the "Rule of Law" Party Artur Bagdasarian, for example,
argues that the party’s representatives were aware of the government’s
political steps by which they were outraged. He said, "Dashnaktsutyun"
was aware of all the processes on normalizing of the Armenian-Turkish
relations.

But "Dashnaktsutyun’s" key contradiction with the authorities
occurred, as the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministries adopted a
joint declaration about conditions when Ankara dictated preconditions
for normalizing relations.

According to the "Dashnaktsutyun" officials, Turkey’s recognizing
"1915 Armenian genocide" is one of necessary conditions to ensure
national security of Armenia.

So what is the reason for such a sharp step of the
party? "Dashnaktsutyun" cannot but realize that establishing ties
with Turkey and opening of borders would be a powerful infusion to
the economy on the background of complete isolation from neighbors
and the fragile financial system of Armenia. Even at the price of
hackneyed recognition of "genocide."

However, the invisible, but omnipotent world Armenian lobby which is
the backbone of the Armenian diaspora in the United States plays an
important role in Armenia’s political arena. And just this enclave’s
main goal is international recognition of "Armenian genocide" of 1915,
self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh, protection of the rights of
the Armenian community in Georgia.

The current policy of the country’s leadership causes the Armenian
lobby’s understandable dissatisfaction. And first, they were
disappointed on April 24, when all the efforts of the Armenian
diaspora in the United States failed and precious word "genocide"
was never heard from of President Obama’s lips. Everybody understands
that it is connected with the processes taking place between Turkey
and Armenia, and the United States has its own interests – not to
"frighten" the sides.

It would be logical to assume that the "Dashnaktsutyun" can be the
last hope of the Armenian lobby on the desired course of the Armenian
leadership after the next presidential election.

Quitting the coalition, "Dashnaktsutyun", obviously, focused on the
domestic effects of this step, giving the party the revolutionary
color of opposition forces, and rid it of responsibility for the
consequences of the coalition’s policy.

This political step is especially profitable, because only to rival
ex-President Ter-Petrossian’s opposition party which has a lot of
supporters will not be difficult.

The time will show whether to wait for the change of political course
in 2012, but intentions of the incompatible Dashnaktsutyun party
that supports the course of the world Armenian lobby is obvious at
the moment.

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