Blackmail Strategy

BLACKMAIL STRATEGY
VARDAN GRIGORYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
08 Nov 08
Armenia

After November 4 the attempts to clarify the stance of the US
President-elect Barrack Obama regarding certain issues, which once used
to be in the form of political predictions and very often desires, and
exhortations have shifted to the plane of blackmail and threats in
Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Those who were dreaming to see the black Senator defeated, today these
people have advanced such categorical demands, they make judgments in
such a confident manner regarding the political behavior of the
President of the world’s most powerful country, as if the latter is
their close friend.

Moreover among the congratulations sent to Barrack Obama on the
occasion of his being elected as the US President, only the message
sent by the Turkish Prime Minister had turned into an open attempt of a
political blackmail, instead of good wishes. Not only is it
characteristic of the present situation of Turkish-American relations,
but also the modern international diplomacy.

Because Prime Minister R.T. Erdoghan’s idea saying that
Turkish-American relations are conditioned by the continuation of the
US policy of not recognizing the Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire: `¦and we hope that certain theses heard during the pre-election
campaign will remain as pre-election theses’ ` this formulation is
nothing more than interference in the US internal policy.

We shouldn’t forget that the demand of the American Armenians to
recognize the Genocide of Armenians and Barrack Obama’s promises are
associated with the relations between the American voters and the
concrete presidential candidate.

It is noteworthy that unlike the Turkish Prime Minister the Armenian
President demonstrated diplomatic tact and in his congratulation
message he indirectly touched upon his promise given to the American
Armenians to recognize the Genocide of Armenians. `I highly appreciate
your awareness and approach towards the problems of the Armenian
people.’

It is quite understandable that the blackmails and the `pieces of
advice’ and `desires’ heard from Turkey, in case when Barrack Obama and
his political team are just preparing to commit themselves to the
leadership of the United States and they haven’t yet introduced the
priorities of the country’s future foreign policy, demonstrates that
Ankara is in serious panic.

In our view instead of blackmailing Ankara Turkey must seriously think
about improving relations with Armenia, which minimum implies that
Turkey must refuse the policy of linking the establishment of the
bilateral relations with Azerbaijan’s unfounded demands regarding
Karabakh issue. If the conversation is about the improvement of
inter-state relations, then the `ethnic preferences’ of the two parties
shouldn’t serve as insurmountable obstacles.

Most probably Azerbaijan is also conscious of this prospect, because
during the recent days the interviews of the responsible
representatives of President Ilham Aliev’s administration, Elnur
Aslanov and Ali Hasanov, given to the Azerbaijani Mass Media were full
of emphases regarding Azerbaijan’s importance for the USA and
unrestrained and vulgar words regarding the Armenian Genocide. The
latter went beyond the limits of the simple decency characteristic of a
state figure.

The political schizophrenia that have seized Baku officials testifies
to the fact that not only are they concerned about the fact that
Barrack Omaba’s administration will recognize the Armenian Genocide but
mostly of the fact that Turkey will have to mitigate its stance towards
Armenia.

Thus if even the Turkish experts working in the leading US brain
centers and the ex US diplomats hint to Ankara that the only way to
avert the recognition of Armenian Genocide by Barrack Obama is to
improve relations with Armenia, then as they say `There is no smoke
without fire’.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS