"Europe is getting the impression that Armenia is moving successively. You know better than I do how well it is moving," political analyst Levon Shirinyan said yesterday [26 January], commenting on [Armenian] President Serzh Sargsyan's speech in the PACE [on 24 January]. The political analyst knows how to transform this impression into reality: "The kleptocratic government [of thieves] must be eliminated from Armenia".
In general, Levon Shirinyan believes that we are excessively focused on the discussion of the identity of [future] prime minister, [who is going to be the leading political figure after Armenia becomes a parliamentary republic following the presidential election to be held this spring]. He said that this was a superficial perception of the problem. We should have a platform for the economic and political development, costs of management personnel should be reduced, and we must demand cleansing of [officials'] friends. Speaking about the widespread characteristics of the personality of the presidential candidate Armen Sargsyan [nominated by] the [ruling] RPA [Republican Party of Armenia], the political analyst said jokingly: "Did France not become France under Charles de Gaulle, who did not know foreign languages?"
The political analysts posed questions regarding Serzh Sargsyan's speech in Strasbourg: "Armenia should turn to state capitalism and the state must be represented in strategic facilities with 50+1 [per cent of shares], because this is not advantageous for oligarchs. They do not want to give their money".
The speaker is extremely worried by the fact that Azerbaijan continues to arm and the lion's share of the weapons is supplied by Russia. He warned: "Our commercial ally has launched a new escalation and I do not rule out that a new war may be provoked. The Russian Federation is preparing a new conflict by Azerbaijan's hand".
He finds it strange that the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry of the Republic of Armenia are keeping silent. He urged to carefully watch US policy, saying that it was undergoing an interesting transformation and it should be understood and relevant steps should be taken. He implied US Vice President Pence's statement in Israel that Biblical events are returning to real life.
Aravot.am asked what his opinion was on why the Armenian president failed to say from the PACE rostrum that Russia is arming Azerbaijan. "I do not know this. The top leadership may have their plans, but the Foreign Ministry should have made a statement on this problem a long time ago," [Shirinyan said]. The political analyst can make a clear forecast for more than one month, but such an accumulation of weapons reminds him of the situation in 2014. [sentence as published] He reminded of lessons of history – the events in the 1920s, when the same ally of our country carried out a provocation against Armenia and Armenian Bolsheviks also took part in it.
"Do not be carried away by the cult of [former Armenian President] Levon Ter-Petrosyan's peace," he urged the government.
He also urged our partners in the [Russian-led] EEU [Eurasian Economic Union] and CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation]: "Friends, [Kazakh President Nursultan] Nazarbayev and [Balarusian President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka, if Armenia is regarded as a weak component, your artificial country Kazakhstan and the Belarusian-Russian [Union] State will be destroyed, when the USSR is restored. So support Armenia". He also said that the USA should also support Armenia to prevent the geopolitical order of the past to come back.