PATRIOTISM IS MORE FAVORABLE THAN POLITICAL ASYLUM
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir, Armenia
Dec 13 2006
After all Aghdam is our homeland
If the Armenian government is a tiger, the government is surely a
lion. No other animal would have the braveness that the speaker of
the president of Armenia displayed by announcing December 12 that the
international organizations, including the Minsk Group had better keep
silent instead of making statements that condemn the referendum on
Constitution of Karabakh. The statement was hard, sudden and daring,
and would arouse envy in any experienced Dashnak. But if someone tried
to use logic, they would see that there is no logical link between
the actions of the Armenian government and the statement of the
president’s speaker. This does not mean, of course, that the speaker
is making statements on his own. Robert Kocharyan is aware of these
statements, of course. But Robert Kocharyan had announced on Al Jazeera
that all the territories are there in case Azerbaijan recognizes the
independence of Karabakh. Meanwhile, the government of Armenia is
trying to reach this independence by negotiating a referendum which
must be held in neither 5 nor 15 years. And the government of Armenia,
which accepts the idea of a new referendum on independence, suddenly
states that the international stance of rejecting the constitution of
Karabakh is unacceptable. Why should the world recognize the right
of the people of Karabakh for self-determination if Armenia does
not recognize it and, ignoring the will of the people of Karabakh,
is negotiating with Azerbaijan over the status of security of these
people? The recognition of Karabakh by Armenia is not concerned. The
point is that the statement of Armenia would be influential for
the international organizations and mediators if official Yerevan
had stated from the beginning that it cannot negotiate and reach
agreement on the independence and security of Karabakh because only
Karabakh must decide these questions.
But this reality cannot be unclear for the Armenian government.
Yerevan perceives the questions related to Karabakh instinctively
rather than consciously because these have become underlying
components of self-preservation. And it is possible that this
instinct of self-preservation has made Yerevan change its defensive
or compromise-based stance and announce that the evaluation by the
international organizations is not helpful for progress in the talks.
In addition, Garnik Isagulyan, adviser to president, stated on the
day of the referendum on December 10 in Stepanakert that not a patch
of land will be returned after the adoption of the Constitution. This
change in the stance of official Yerevan is notable. The ruling elite
of Armenia would not keep the territories just for free, considering
that hardly several months ago a competition started for returning
territories. The competition was so tough that some people even stated
that they had announced about returning territories as long ago as
in the years of World War I.
The recent change in the stance is probably determined by the change
in the political situation. The ruling elite must have realized that
returning the territories will not be helpful for reproduction,
and it may only help getting political asylum in Hawaii, with the
international community covering travel expenses. Meanwhile, this
is not enough for them. They can afford to cover travel expenses,
whereas they agree to settle the Karabakh issue in return for
reproduction. Since this option is not realistic, they resort to
patriotism. According to Samuel Jackson, it is the last resort of
a scoundrel, but instead it does not require additional costs, let
alone the danger that the plane may plunge into the sea.