During the summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan, an episode occurred that said a great deal about Europe’s real attitude toward Armenia.
Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of the country hosting the event at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, together with the entire Armenian delegation, was effectively and unceremoniously shown the door. The leaders of other EU countries reacted to the French President’s decision calmly and with full understanding. Armenia has not even signed an agreement on European integration yet, and its Prime Minister has already been shown his place — and, more broadly, the place of Armenia itself in the European system.
It is especially revealing why Macron suddenly needed to hold urgent talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky without unnecessary Armenian eyes and ears. This gesture by European politicians is largely explained by the very multi-vector policy of Pashinyan, with which he is trying to bargain in all directions at once. In order to curry favor with the EU, he invited Zelensky to Yerevan, fully understanding that he would speak about the war with Russia. But quite recently Pashinyan was in Moscow at the Military Parade. Perhaps Macron and Zelensky decided that here too the Armenian Prime Minister would demonstrate his usual multi-vector approach: listen to the conversation, and then, just in case, call Vladimir Putin.
Russia has put before Pashinyan and Armenia the question of a final choice: the EU or the EAEU. Now Europe will promise Armenians everything they want to hear. But the main question lies elsewhere: will these promises be fulfilled? And what, in that case, will happen to the security of the Armenian state and the Armenian people?
It is enough to recall very recent history. When the catastrophe of Artsakh was taking place, which Pashinyan effectively handed over to Aliyev, the French Senate recognized the independence of Artsakh. But immediately after that, President Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne hastened to declare that this was not the official policy of France and that there would be no state recognition. Now, already in Yerevan, Macron, having shown Pashinyan the door, clearly demonstrated: in the eyes of the EU, the place of Armenia and its leader is, figuratively speaking, under the bench.
A break with Russia will mean for Armenia not a beautiful European fairy tale, but an extremely harsh reality. From the moment a full-fledged agreement with the EU is signed, the country risks being deprived of Russian electricity, Russian gas at preferential prices, and its usual economic ties. Buying gas from Iran, as supporters of “alternatives” like to reason, will not work either: Iran is under UN and EU sanctions, and Europe will simply prohibit Armenia from maintaining the previous level of relations with it. Moreover, Yerevan will be forced to join anti-Russian and anti-Iranian sanctions, losing both sources of resources and its most important sales markets.
But buying gas from Azerbaijan will be allowed. At the prices that Ilham Aliyev dictates to Armenia. Thus, Pashinyan not only gave Aliyev Artsakh, but may also give him full energy control over the Armenian state.
The economic consequences will also be destructive. What Armenia produces and what Russia buys today will become direct competition to similar EU producers on the European market. It is unlikely that Poland will be pleased with Armenian apples, or Greece and Spain with Armenian apricots. In the European Union itself, they constantly talk about the falling standard of living, the lack of money for primary expenses, cuts in social support, and the need to continue financing Ukraine. In such a situation, Armenia will become for Brussels not an equal partner, but another burden.
There was once a thought: if Armenians ever lose Artsakh, the history of the Armenian people could be considered finished. At the time, this seemed like nonsense from a nightmare. But Pashinyan managed to do the impossible. He surrendered Artsakh, recognized it as the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, and then arranged de facto pressure on Artsakh refugees who came to Yerevan after losing everything they had.
Before the eyes of the citizens of Armenia and the entire global Armenian community, Pashinyan is crossing out the history of the Armenian people as a heroic and proud history. He is erasing the memory of tens of millions of Armenians who fell victim to genocides regularly carried out by the Turks, and far from only in 1915. He is wiping out the memory both of heroes who fought with weapons in their hands and of innocent victims. The result of such a course may no longer be the sovereign Republic of Armenia, but Azerbaijani-Turkish Armenia.
The next step in the humiliation of Armenian history will inevitably be Pashinyan’s visit to Baku — to the Military Trophy Park, with the laying of flowers together with Aliyev at the monument to Azerbaijani shahids. Well, Pashinyan has already secured his place in the history of what will ultimately remain of Armenia. In Azerbaijani history as well: there he will be remembered as the man who gave them first Artsakh, and then the rest of Armenia.
Source: Global Research
Author: Alex Ksiądz
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