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    Categories: 2023

AW Letter to the Editor: The Future Viability of Armenia

After the Artsakh debacle, what lies ahead for Armenia? Realistically, Russia seems to care less about Armenia’s future as demonstrated by the sellout of Artsakh to Azerbaijan. For the foreseeable future, Armenia cannot count on the support of Russia. What then? What can Armenia do to protect its territorial integrity while the wolves of Azerbaijan and Turkey are at Armenia’s doorstep? 

Armenia and the Armenian diaspora must be realistic during these turbulent times, because as of now, no major power has committed itself to helping Armenia. Many solutions may be hard to swallow but must be considered to keep Armenia alive and well. What if Armenia had a treaty with Turkey and Azerbaijan to allow passage of goods through the “Zangezur” corridor and allow Azerbaijan to connect to Nakhichevan and Turkey? Part of that agreement would include monetary payments to Armenia to allow this to happen – in other words, an in-transit payment for various shipments crossing the corridor through Armenia. Also, any treaty should include opening the border between Armenia and Turkey allowing the free flow of commerce between the two countries. In addition, Armenia’s territorial integrity must be safe from any future aggression. 

I believe that the possibility of this happening would need the unwavering support of a superpower with influence to help broker this treaty. I would hope that the superpower in such a scenario would be the United States or the European Union. Otherwise, Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, would use military force to take the corridor and those parts of Armenia leaving Armenia empty handed. The Azeris have strongly indicated that is a possibility. It can also be assumed that Turkey will demand that Armenia drop its claim of Genocide to obtain the proposed treaty as shown above. Would Armenia be willing to do that?

Ezan Bagdasarian
Gainesville, VA

Ezan Bagdasarian is a retired customs and border protection supervisor and acting chief inspector. He lives in Gainesville, VA. His father was in the Armenian Legion as part of the French Foreign Legion and saw action in Palestine and Cilicia.


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