EXPERT NOTES ARMENIAN PUBLIC’S INERTIA IN FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES

Aravot
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

An Armenian political analyst has said that the Armenian public
attach greater importance to domestic social and economic problems
and political freedoms than to the country’s foreign policies.

"Our public have pushed national issues to the sidelines and even
further," Armen Badalyan told the pro-opposition Aravot daily on 4
November. "At present social and economic problems, political freedoms,
and only then national issues – Nagornyy Karabakh, Armenian-Turkish
relations, recognition of the genocide and so on – are the priority
for it."

The expert predicted after the 19 February 2008 presidential election
that if the May 2009 election of Yerevan mayor was not "free and fair
either", then the public would become inert even to challenges in
foreign policy, including the Nagornyy Karabakh issue, Aravot said. As
a result, Armenia would lose its resistance to foreign challenges.

Badalyan believes his predictions have come true and that the Armenian
public are indifferent to processes which have been taking place after
the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in early October. The
expert said a low turnout by 1,000-1,500 people at rallies against
the protocols organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
-Dashnaktsutyun also corroborated this.

Badalyan said he believes Armenia has lost in Armenian-Turkish
relations due to lack of democracy in the country, the paper reported.

Badalyan said however, Armenian political leaders and experts are
discussing the protocols in the context of geopolitical and regional
processes only. Badalyan disagreed with statements that Turkey wants
to mend ties with Armenia in order to become an EU member, saying
that Turkey applied for EU membership a long time ago and could
wait for another five years. The expert believes that the process of
normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties is a result of the struggle
for the Caucasus as the USA, the EU and Turkey have economic interests
in the region, Aravot reported.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress