EDWARD NALBANDIAN’S RUSSIAN ROULETTE: SELF-DECEPTION AS AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST FEAR
Today
Feb 8 2010
Azerbaijan
No need to envy Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. He is
really having a difficult time. The president is applying pressure,
the opposition is threatening to teach him a lesson, and radicals
make constant threats to him. Moreover, every second Nalbandian is
thinking about himself, and his future, because the future of a man
in present-day Armenia is something like Russian roulette – you never
know what will happen when you pull the trigger.
But the worst thing is that he has to lie upon the order of his
president and even to the president himself constantly. He has to tell
a lie also to co-chairs, supporters, opponents, ordinary citizens of
the country and many others. The notion of "truth" is in shortage in
Armenia. Not every heart, in particular, so to speak, the heart of
the Armenian bureaucrat will endure it.
Nalbandian deceives people from early morning until late at night. He
deceives his deputies, employees and media. Finally, the turn has
reached the parliamentarians. The Armenian foreign minister visited
the local parliament as part of the government hour, where he told
the national elected representatives that ostensibly the countries
co-chairing the Minsk Group understand the need for involving
representatives of "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" in the negotiations
on settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
"We have reiterated on many occasions that it is impossible to solve
the Nagorno-Karabakh without "NKR" participation. I can say that our
approach regarding the participation of "NKR" is understood by the
three co-chairs," the minister added.
Azerbaijan has stated many times that Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh will participate in the negotiations sooner or
later. Azerbaijan has repeatedly said that representatives of the
Armenian community may join the negotiations at a certain time.
Azerbaijan has also made it clear that it can happen once the occupied
Azerbaijani lands will be returned to Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction. And
the talks will also involve representatives of the Azerbaijani
community of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs exactly mean the same thing when they
say Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should also participate in the
negotiations. Fortunately, they have repeatedly voiced their opinion
on this subject which fully coincides with that of Azerbaijan.
It is incorrect to think that persons who listen Nalbandian’s voice sit
in the Armenian parliament. Perhaps there are such people among the
deputies, but I am confident that they are still a minority. The MPs
know real truth better than Nalbandian, and maybe even better, because
some of them are closer to Serzh Sargsyan than the minister himself.
In this case, for whom this lie was designed? For those who are the
most naive? Hardly. For the press? If so, he could bring together
representatives of mass media, and not make such reports in parliament.
So, it turns out that the lie in the parliament was aimed at …
himself. He was scared. He is afraid for his future, which is very
vague in the light of recent rumors about the expected change of half
of the cabinet of the Government. He is scared for his own country
which is heading nowhere. Fears make Nalbandian deceive himself. He
deceives himself to get comfort.
Nalbandian has overlied to the extent that he no longer knows where
is the truth and falsehood.
This is an integral feature of self-deception. And, apparently,
most Armenian officials have already passed through it…