Category: News

168TVof “diplomat” the guest of the program Karen Bekaryan, chairman of the board of “Hayatsk” analytical center, former MP is

– Mr. Bekaryan, one of the main intrigues after the parliamentary elections was related to Armenian-Russian relations and the question of how high-level contacts will be arranged in the post-election period. The other day, Nikol Pashinyan managed to talk to Vladimir Putin, the Russian official message gives the impression that the Kremlin has no compromise moods, on the contrary, a tough demand is being made for Armenia to hold a referendum and decide whether the Armenian people want to go on the path of integration with the European Union or to maintain membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. This is no longer a diplomatic dialogue, but an ultimatum, which, in fact, has been going on for the third month. How do you assess the current situation?

– You know, this situation was not created in one day, two days, one week. This is the result of a rather long process, consistent actions by the Armenian authorities. There were all the grounds for predicting this, as we talked about when we were staying with you, that all this will create a rather problematic situation.

In any case, let’s highlight a few key points. First, I don’t want confusion to be created as a result of equating Armenia’s European integration process with EU membership. These are different things. The Republic of Armenia has had a process of European integration for many years, until 2018, etc. In other words, this is a completely different issue, it has its own parameters, starting from the blocks of human rights and democracy, and ending with economic cooperation. Finally, let’s not forget that Armenia signed a rather serious agreement with the European Union even before these authorities came to power, the famous CEPA, which is a very deep and serious field of cooperation in all possible fields. This is a component of the European integration process of Armenia.

But it was no coincidence that such an agenda item – membership in the European Union – was not put before 2018. It was not raised, because it was clear from the beginning that in this case you find yourself in the field of conflict between the interests of power centers, and in that field of conflict, being a small country, it is a very serious problem when you do not work in the field of conflict of interests, but in a certain sense, you also take a provocative stance on the conflict. Will you benefit from this, that is, will you benefit or harm the national-state interests of your own country? The simple formula suggests that you will cause damage.

But this came, developed, reached the point where a very anomalous situation is taking place. the appropriate law related to the European Union membership process is adopted, and on the other hand it is said that yes, it is true, we accepted it, yes, that’s right, but since today we are not yet becoming a member of the European Union, there are stages for that, and we continue to remain under the EAEU. Now, the fact that this should be perceived negatively, to put it mildly, negatively, seems to me, there is no question here and there is nothing surprising.

I’m sorry, I’ll give a slightly abnormal example. this is almost the same as if the wife or husband in the family openly says that I have made a decision to leave you and move, form another family or become part of another family, but since they are not ready yet, and I haven’t packed my phone and clothes yet, I continue to live here, and you will have to tolerate me. In other words, this is a very similar situation and should have led to anomalous reactions, which is what started. Those reactions reached the point that the other EAEU member states adopted a joint statement, stating that Armenia should take a decision as soon as possible.

There is also a second element here that we should not forget. in their perception (and it seems to me that we will all imagine that there is a very serious part of the truth here) this is a very serious blow to the image. In other words, if you stay, you stay, if you go, you go, this suspended situation also affects the image of the structure. From the point of view of Armenia’s national-state interests, will any country that is a member of that structure enter into long-term cooperation with you in such circumstances and situations?

Along with this, we do not forget another derivative factor. those countries are the same CSTO founding countries as Armenia. You have already frozen membership in the CSTO (according to the words of their authorities), you do not participate in its processes and from time to time you constantly update the statement that there is hardly a way back to make our participation full, and the way out is much more likely. Now the question is, regardless of the various negative things we can fix in the case of each of those countries, was it not clear now that the reaction will be the way we see it?

Moreover, I say, this is not a matter of one day, this process was predictable from the moment when this incomprehensible “wall-to-wall” policy began, in which many people are trying to find some ideological base. There is no such thing, this only has a tendency to keep power, extend power, don’t try to find anything else there, there is no principle, of course. where was the principle? Suppose they left the CSTO, if they thought that the possible external component of security would not suffer in that case, they would have thought the same thing when they froze the situation with these statements, that is, nothing changes, and in many cases we even become a laughing stock when they don’t understand us.

Now let’s look through the eyes of the same western wing, I want us to look balanced. In their imagination, you constantly strive, you create a strategic partnership with the European Union member states, you try to have some security agenda with the European Union, you do this, you do that, but at the same time you don’t leave the CSTO, you just freeze the membership. What does this mean? In other words, let’s try to look at it from that side as well, although that side, in turn, is creating quite serious problems today, which will not be cleared up so quickly even with the removal of the current government.

For example, this kind of transition from value dialogue to political interests by the same European community… I don’t know how else to say it. The problem is the elites of the European side and today’s decision-makers, in whose case I am more than sure that the public cannot welcome it in the same way. But those same decision-makers have reset the value field.

Let’s look at the situation in Armenia and use the platform here to show our support to all our political prisoners and the politically persecuted, because what is happening does not have a single red line in it. Look at how many directions the opposition wings have continuously presented to the public the problems, dangers, challenges, and risks related to the country during this time. Now what, what is the chosen path? In other words, silencing by giving the person the status of a political prisoner, silencing by imprisoning him?

I would like to list. see: The Sacred Movement with all its included people who went through or are going through all the stages of political imprisonment and political persecution. Starting with Bagrat Srbazan, remember how much time that man spent in prison. Why, Saint Michael… In other words, those cases related to the same Mother See, the shame of sending a new case to the court, when the Catholicos and priests are already being targeted.

We are coming to the political field. How long was Armen Ashotyan a political prisoner, then politically persecuted, now again a political prisoner, we have Aregnaz as a political prisoner. About Tevanyan – a separate issue, Avetik Chalabyan – a separate issue, everything that was happening around “Prosperous Armenia” and directly with Gagik Tsarukyan – threats and their implementation. First of all, it will not be possible to give all the names now, but I express my support to everyone: it will be Tsarukyan, Ashotyan, Srbazan, Tevanyan, Chalabyan, Aregnaz, because this disgrace is already of a different order. And I repeat again: surely we are not naming many names now, just let all our compatriots be forgiving.

In this case, this total silence and, on the contrary, the praise of Armenia’s democracy… Well, it is possible to combine values ​​with political interests at some point, but should values ​​be reduced to zero in this way, or the problems of the electoral and post-election process, legitimacy, criminal cases against various representatives of “Strong Armenia”, etc.? I mean, I don’t know… in this case, this becomes a stigma on the European direction. And getting rid of that stigma, getting to a normal state even when these authorities are gone (don’t we all understand that they are not forever), will be very difficult. And most importantly, the link, the glue between Armenia and the European direction, what was a valuable component, is today under attack, is being directly destroyed.

– Mr. Bekaryan, parallel to all this, we see what kind of propaganda work is being carried out by the same Brussels․ we saw European officials, they took photos with apricots, Marta Kos made jam, some words of support, Kaya Kalas’s visit to Armenia after the elections and the statement “we will protect you from Russia”, etc. And this propaganda is also working somewhere.

– Look, so we touched on the value component. That’s why I continue my thought. look at the person of that age, for example, the same Gagik Tsarukyan, even the footage we witnessed… Well, should the European ambassadors sitting here record or report to their capitals or the European Union office (Brussels) that this is a component of their imagined value field?

Or we don’t forget something simple. How did this government, after 8 years from 2018, do that the problems related to all of them came unexpectedly and accumulated in the pre-election, election and post-election period of 2026? Well, not to laugh, actually. And now, I repeat again, the attitude of various officials of the European Union in this case… or if I turn the arrows a little, we see what is happening in Baku with the persons, hostages and prisoners that we hold, which are fake trials, this is the whole process, from international humanitarian law to the violation of any agreements.

I give a simple example. What does “we will protect Armenia from Russia” mean? That is, we see how you protect Ukraine.

– It is not even a member of the EU yet.

– Yes, we see how you defend it, and for example, now any person, citizen, wanted this for his state and country, as, for example, in the same Ukraine? Is this what he envisioned for the future of his country, his family, his children? Yes, apricots will work, of course, or in connection with the same agricultural products, those apricots, etc. So, can you imagine how much time is needed, how much work is needed, so that, for example, the same apricot appears on the European market in the same volume as, for example, it appeared on the Russian market? And will Europe provide that quota field outside of apricots, and will the countries that are the main suppliers of apricots to the European market from EU members treat it very adequately when there is such a political decision? It is necessary to distinguish the illusion from the reality.

The biggest mark and consequence of the parliamentary elections of 2026 (it will not be only the various forgeries and legitimacy problems), the biggest blow is the severe decline of Armenia’s subjectivity and sovereignty, which was possible to record during the elections and that whole process. I will give you a simple example. find a country that is related to us and did not directly or indirectly interfere in our country’s internal affairs.

We had an intervention from Turkey, quite high-level, in favor of the authorities, we had interventions from various European officials, we had interventions from quite high officials of the United States, and at the same time, putting into it situations that do not intersect with the logical process. In other words, there is a visit of the Secretary of State of the United States to “Zvartnots” airport, which is difficult to call a visit to the Republic of Armenia, a 40-minute visit.

But there is a unique story there, apart from the fact that it is chronologically related to the entire pre-election period, that a person arrives, two officials see each other, but they themselves initial, not sign the TRIPP. After just a few days, they sign remotely. try to find the logic of this process three times, if he was not an extended philanderer and was not an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the authorities. On the part of the Russian Federation, the same as what is happening now, all those… what shall we call under restrictions? Well, it is clear: does it refer to the government or does it refer to the people?

In other words, after all, this is the element of intervention, even if it is post-election. See where subjectivity has been brought to earth. And it is not the Turks, nor the Russians, nor the Europeans, nor the Americans who will deliver that. it is the current authorities of Armenia that brought this situation. I also want us to understand this very clearly.

The situation today is that someone is demanding to change the Constitution, yes! And under that requirement, all possible magic is done. that is, we fulfill their request, we do what they want in that request, but we do it, we do not do it according to their request (the trick is simple). The other demands to hold a referendum, the other demands to increase and expand the steps, the other says: we have done so much, we have done the assistance, but where are the opposite processes? Okay, what is this, what is this, and does this have any connection or relation with the sovereignty and subjectivity of the country?

Details in the 168TV video.

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