Yerevan October 27
Ani Mshetsyan. The first results of Nikol Pashinyan's foreign policy are worrying, the Former Minister of Defense of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan wrote on his Facebook page. He, in particular, noted that 6 months, especially in the "post-revolutionary" conditions, is a short period. They can still point to the "old" authorities and "their conspiracies'', the society can still be asked for indulgence, referring to the "inexperience of the team.
The former minister of defense also noted that everyone is familiar with the feeling when after a few minutes it becomes obvious that the film being watched becomes uninteresting. "Unfortunately," New Armenia's" foreign policy resembles such an uninteresting and annoying film. I write these words to Pashinyan against the background of his American fiasco, which became clear during presidential Adviser on National Security John Bolton's visit to Armenia. For the first time the goal of Armenian – US dialogue was informing of one side about the benefits of the other rather than mutual interests. It seemed that Bolton was not an Adviser to the US president, but an adviser to the Prime Minister of Armenia, who turned out to advice what to do and what not to do. It was only unclear why the Prime Minister did not recall the statement made by him in Moscow – not to interfere in each other's internal politics, "the former Defense Minister wrote.
Sargsyan also summarized the visit of Bolton. "Armenia should get rid of its '' historical patterns''. Bolton actually repeated not only the statements of Azerbaijan that Armenia itself was to blame for its blockade, but justified Turkey for closed borders, for Ankara's support for Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue. In addition, he also noted that Armenia not only should not expect assistance from the United States, but even investments, "Sargsyan stressed. As the former Minister of Defense noted, in the best case, investments may come from representatives of the Armenian community of the United States.
Sargsyan also wrote that in the words of Bolton that Armenia, finally, should become self-consistent and independent, bearing in mind the relations of Yerevan with Washington. Obviously, this concerned the strategic relations of Armenia with Russia. "The United States does not deny that they sold and will probably sell weapons to Azerbaijan. If you wish, you can switch from Russian weapons to American ones, but the US is absolutely not interested in how much it will cost the Armenian budget. As for Iran, Armenia has no alternative than applying US sanctions. A statement was made from the territory of Iran, a neighboring and friendly state, that the circle around Iran is narrowing. Of course, this is a very tactful reminder of partnership relations with Armenia, "the former defense minister noted .
Sargsyan stressed that from the point of view of diplomacy, it is important not only the content of statements, but also circumstances such as time and place, and until recently, the partners of Armenia were very attentive during meetings with Armenian colleagues in the territory of Armenia, as well as in the matters of statements related to neighbors and allies of the country. "What exactly has freed their hands in" New Armenia "? I hope not "black counter-revolutionaries ", and not" proud people "," the former defense minister said.
The former minister said he did not know what was said behind closed doors. But, based on what is in the open press, "one can guess and be horrified by how in just 6 months we have turned from a country leading a balanced policy into a country in which foreign diplomats do not even think about the interests of Armenia. " " I don't think that Bolton's wording has anything to do with the Karabakh negotiation process. Usually these statements are made before the meeting and even before the visit. Consequently, these approaches reflect the position of the United States in response to the change of power in Armenia and the new foreign policy arising from it, "the politician noted. Sargsyan said that being involved in all international meetings of the Armenian leadership for 15 years, he does not remember a single case when American partners would call into question the strategic partnership between Armenia and Russia. "But I remember the special call of Vice President Joe Biden to President Sargsyan, in which the latter noted that the United States is receptive to the decision of Armenia to enter the EAEU ", Sargsyan stated. "What gives Bolt reason to think that it is possible to speak with Armenia in the language of" concessions,in exchange of open borders. "I hope not the speech of Prime Minister's wife Anna Hakobyan on the Artsakh border. Bullets cannot be turned into jewels, bullets and weapons are needed at the border, they are needed for the state , independence and security, even in the safest country, especially in our region. Challenges to our security do not begin with Artsakh and do not end there, "the former minister said.
As for the American and Russian weapons, the former defense minister noted that Russian weapons, which are not inferior in quality to the American ones, Armenia bought from Russia at domestic price, being a CSTO country on favorable terms, besides the country has the necessary technical base for weapon service. According to the former Minister of Defense, in order to properly apply for weapons, it is advisable to buy them from one country. "And another equally important question regarding Russia is why should it give or sell weapons to Armenia at a reduced price if Armenia purchases it at a market price in another country? I have no doubt that Bolton was very aware of all this," Sargsyan said.
According to the former minister, in the words of Trump's representative there was not an offer to Armenia to buy American weapons, but an excuse for selling weapons to Azerbaijan. And in matters of servicing American weapons, Azerbaijan will be helped by Turkey, which has a lot of experience in this. "Meanwhile, I wonder if Bolton will call on Azerbaijan to become 'independent', implying its strategic cooperation with Turkey," Sargsyan asked.
The former minister stressed that the US sanctions against Iran are not the first in these relations, and Armenia has always managed to find a balance while maintaining friendly relations with Iran and the requirements of international law. "The American partners always approached our vital interests with understanding. From the statements on the visit, and not only, we learned that in the near future Armenia could be involved in anti-Iranian policy, which poses a threat not only to Armenia, but also to the entire region" Sargsyan said, associating with this the statement of Pashinyan about the revelation of drug dealers in Syunik.
Sargsyan stressed that representatives of the American administration were often stingy regarding the assessment of the Armenian Genocide. "Sometimes they called on Armenia to continue efforts to restore relations, for which they highly appreciated the efforts and political will of the Armenian leadership. But instead of calling on Turkey to recognize its history, as President Obama did in Ankara, Bolton's call on Armenia to break free of "historical patterns" is a new and undesirable phenomenon for us in the US policy. I am sure that the Armenian communities of the USA and the lobbyist structures will mark this, "the former minister stressed, wondering what was Armenia's interest in Bolton's visit to Armenia. "We should ask Nikol Pashinyan about this. I could not see it in the public part of the visit," Sargsyan stressed.
"Mr. Pashinyan does not put blame for the failures in foreign policy on those involved in this field. They are not revolutionaries and not counter-revolutionaries. When taking important decisions, they should be listened to, and not the adventurers who build barricades on the streets and divide society into black and white. The mistakes made in this area are difficult to overcome. Basically, you are responsible for foreign policy. In this area you are constantly destroying what has been created for decades. If you don't immediately correct the situation, the possibilities of professionals will continue huddle, as in the last six months. Of course, it's good that you are trying to be accessible to people, but your ministers, ambassadors and advisers are people too. Receive them and listen to them, "concluded Sargsyan.