Verelq: Is the state identified with the government? Mirzoyan’s dangerous formula

The statement made recently by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, that “if the opposition wins the elections, the existence of the independent Republic of Armenia will be greatly doubted”, is a dangerous attempt to identify statehood and power.

In fact, without any evidence, the high-ranking official attributes to the opposition a behavior that threatens the existence of the state. This is a bare-bones political labeling that does not meet the minimum standards of state responsibility.

In the political sphere, we are dealing with a technology that has been used for a long time: the government is presented as a guarantor of peace, and the opposition as a source of war. This simplified scheme is an attempt to influence the voter’s behavior through the fear factor. The public is actually presented with a false dilemma, not between plans and solutions, but between fear and the “promise of stability”.

The most problematic, however, is Mirzoyan’s state status. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose mission is to represent the state’s interests in foreign relations, comes out with harsh, biased formulations in the internal political struggle. As a result, the diplomatic institution is politicized and gradually loses its national character.

Finally, this statement should be considered in a wider context. When the government presents itself as the only guarantor of the state’s existence, a dangerous logic is formed: the change of government is equated with the loss of statehood. This contradicts the fundamental principle of democracy and is a manifestation of authoritarian thinking.

By and large, the problem is the political thinking of Pashinyan and his team, which limits competition, manipulates public fears and subjugates state institutions to party interests.

Political scientist Suren Surenyants

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