U.S. MAKES CHOICE BETWEEN TURKEY & ARMENIA
Day.Az
Feb 16 2012
Azerbaijan
The Armenian experts absorbed into the discussion of U.S. President
Barack Obama’s budget message, in which he called for a substantial –
19% – reduction in an economic aid to Armenia.
Clearly, the matter is not the final amounts of economic aid from
the U.S., but the tendency. It should be noted that the Obama
administration proposes to allocate additional $3.6 million in
International Military Education and Training for Turkey, given
that that Turkey continues to play an increasing role as a growing
global partner.
Thus, the U.S. leadership clearly demonstrates that Armenia loses
its importance for it on the backdrop of a substantial increase in
the importance of Turkey.
Armenia has been and is doomed to continue to be an outpost for some
world or regional powers. Armenia has no resources for more. While
Turkey is a very significant regional power with its own views and
attitude towards processes in any corner of the world, with the
opinion and weight, with which even its enemies reckon.
In addition, the White House is well aware of the essence of Armenia’s
current leadership. This is a criminal-oligarchic clan, robbing own
people and destroying anyone who attempts to encroach on authority,
which has resulted in the killing of 10 civilians protesting against
the massive fraud in the presidential election in 2008. The White
House is also well aware of the fact that the authorities in Armenia
are people with the criminal ‘nicknames’, that this country has no
freedom of speech, the law is inactive and replaced by ‘criminal’
orders, in which the Armenian leadership forces its people to live.
So, Obama’s this proposal is a clear sign to personally President
Serzh Sargsyan and his followers that the time has come for them to
change, so that to avoid replacement.
The U.S. is also informed about the active development of the
Armenian-Iranian economic and political relationships. Of course,
Yerevan’s these actions cause dissatisfaction of the White House. And
the White House openly makes it clear to Yerevan, starting with a
proposal for a substantial reduction in the U.S. economic assistance
to Armenia.
It should be noted that the United States, which initiated a project
on the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, clearly demonstrates whom it
blames for the project failure. Sending this message to Yerevan,
the White House will now be closely watching how the Armenian
leadership understands its essence. Maybe in the near future it
will show its docility and it will be seen in the resuscitation of
the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, which will be implemented in
parallel with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ankara and Baku have repeatedly stated about the impossibility
of separating these processes from each other. How much Turkey is
important for the United States was always clear, and Obama’s statement
that Turkey continues to play an increasing role as a growing global
partner of the United States, is another evident to this.
Cooperation with Azerbaijan also is of great importance to Washington.
Because the U.S. stands for ensuring the energy security of the United
States allies in Europe and worldwide, which means the integration
of the Caspian energy basin in the world economy. Today, the U.S. is
interested in establishing a trans-Caspian transport route, in which
Azerbaijan’s has a significant role. Realization of the these projects
requires a lasting stability in our region, and the United States
and Azerbaijan share common views here.
Washington, as well as Baku, believes that the unresolved
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh directly affects
the stability and development of the South Caucasus, increasing the
degree of dissociation and preventing the development of comprehensive
cooperation among the regional countries, as well as a full integration
of these countries into the international political and economic space.
Armenia’s position is only obstacle on the way of a stability and
development of our region. So, Obama’s budget message says that the
U.S. leadership has decided to pursue the policy of pressuring on
Yerevan. Therefore, mostlikely we will soon see concrete steps of
Yerevan, demonstrating ability to understand the message of the U.S..
It is possible that all this can result in Armenia’s complete
geopolitical reorientation from the Russian direction on American, in
a gradual and inexorable decline in the Armenian-Iranian cooperation,
as well as in Armenia’s sudden understanding of hopelessness of life
in a state of unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan, and with closed
borders with Turkey. In other words, very soon we will see the real
fruits of pressuring on Armenia to peaceful ties with its neighbors.