Luggage Of The Armenian State

LUGGAGE OF THE ARMENIAN STATE
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir.am
02/02/10

Erdogan is dissatisfied with the OSCE Minsk group and complains
that the Minsk group forces no repression to Armenia. This perhaps
means that Turkey does not have any hope in connection with the
Karabakh issue, which in turn means that the Sochi meeting, the
Madrid presumable and the two weeks given to the sides to express
their opinions in this relation, do not stand for the upcoming end
of the Karabakh conflict at all.

When such an opinion about the settlement appears, from the point
that no one forces any concession to Armenia, maybe they propose but
do not force, assessments that in this way the society is tried to be
shown that everything is all right in the Karabakh issue settlement
preparing for mutual concessions are heard.

In reality, first, when Armenia is said not to be forced any
concessions, this does not mean that everything is all right for
the Armenian side in relation to the Karabakh issue and there are no
grounds to worry. Second, if much is all right, it is not the worth and
the result of the brilliant policy of the Armenian party. Merely, the
interests of the superpowers engaged in the settlement of the Karabakh
issue suppose for the preservation of the status quo, even if they
wish to change it, because the "commander" of that change will not
be only one of them. Since there is no unique commander, there is no
"emperor" mediator, the mediators prefer preserving the status quo.

But this does not mean that everything is all right for Armenia with
regards to the Karabakh issue. And it cannot be so. And not only in
the settlement of the Karabakh issue, but also in the Armenian and
Turkish process, in other processes of the foreign policy in which
Armenia is busy. The point is that the perception of state comes from
inside the country and goes out but not on the contrary. Consequently,
we have to see what goes out from Armenia.

Rigged elections, illegitimate president, illegitimate administrative
system, connection of the governmental institutions with criminal
authorities, judicial system fulfilling the orders of the executive
power, apolitical parliament, economy divided in "zones" and quotas,
lack of political and economic competition, limitation of civil
freedoms, atmosphere of impunity, repression towards any dissidence.

How can the affairs of such a country be all right in the foreign
policy if such phenomena are present inside the country? In this
case, if something seems all right outside, it is surely temporary
and strictly relative.

Perhaps, the way to put in order foreign affairs is inside the
country. The society does not become dull because of the opinion that
the foreign society does not force concessions to Armenia, but because
of the general affirmations that the government is to cede Karabakh.

The society has been waiting for years for this "is to". Since it
waited in case of the previous oppositions, it has been waiting for
one year and a half in case of the current one too. While the society
is to be explained that even if the government wants, it cannot cede
Karabakh because it is not the Mergelyan institute which can be just
given to someone or exchanged with gas. Karabakh is a geopolitical
strip where Armenia’s interest is one of many. The society is to be
explained that the point is about ceding Armenia’s interests which
happens through time. It is happening because of all the issues
that are present inside Armenia as a luggage and go out. And outside
Armenia’s luggage turns out not to be competitive means for the modern
world but garbage, moreover expired.