Sep 4th, 2009 @ 10:28 am › Garen Yegparian
I suppose I owe some gratitude to the “leaders” in Yerevan’s halls of power for making it so easy to mouth off over their often imbecilic actions and policies. Forget about selling out/off natural resources and industrial infrastructure; even forget about the rampant corruption making people impoverished and cynical about building a truly representative government; let’s even turn a blind eye to the fawning and foolish act of honoring the megalomaniacal president of Georgia who’s busy persecuting the Armenians of Javakhk. All these and more are now eclipsed by the wholesale giveaway of Armenia’s and Armenians most basic rights and powerful legal weapons.
Of course I’m referring to the two protocols just released by the government of Armenia, Switzerland, and Turkey. If you haven’t read them, please do, you can find them on this publication’s website. They’re very compact and efficient in dissemination of pathetic policy. Just see how far your jaw drops.
Since I’m not fond of writing long, cumbersome articles, addressing all the foolishness filling those few pages is impossible. I’ll focus on the three most egregious elements in these platitude-filled documents. Discussing Turkey and respect for human rights in the same document, as occurs in the protocols, is just to laughable to address seriously.
The sanctification the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity play right into not only Turkey’s hands, but Azerbaijan’s as well. Silly me, I thought Armenians agreed that we will settle for no less than the Wilsonian demarcation of borders. If the Republic of Armenia says the current border is what it recognizes, then it signs away OUR rights to these territories. Simultaneously, Artzakh gets ceded to Azerbaijan by the same foolish stroke of a pen. Remember, Azerbaijan’s claims to Artzakh are based on the irrelevant, inapplicable “inviolability of borders and territorial integrity” arguments.
Then we have the much touted- by Turkey, its ilk, and their supporters- historical commission. Through these protocols, Armenia agrees to the creation of this stage for endless foot-dragging and a denialist talkfest. Remember TARC? How will this be any different? Just more U.S. Department of State funded meaningless new-age type chatter. While David Krikorian, the Ohio congressional candidate is spending valuable time and money on fighting Genocide denial, what is allegedly the highest official body representing Armenians, the government of the RoA, is busy giving away the store when it comes to Genocide recognition, and, naturally and consequently, reparations for damages arising from this example of Turkey’s malevolence.
Of course there’s the canard about the benefits of opening the Armenia-Turkey border. Turkey’s blockade may well be the best thing happening to Armenia’s minimal economy. Ankara has been successful in developing its economy so that it is one of the fastest growing in the world. Their manufacturing, and even agricultural, products would overwhelm what little Armenia has, further plunging the population into overseas-remittance-reliant misery. The irony here is that Turkey, having imposed the blockade over our success in Artzakh, now finds itself in a jam. Ankara WANTS to reopen the border to benefit its economy, but can’t be perceived as turning on its kissin’-cousins in Baku. What better way out than to get Armenia to BEG for something that hurts Armenia, benefits Turkey, and provides cover against Azerbaijan’s expectations.
What’s going on? For whatever reason, Armenia’s current government has embarked on a losing streak. Plus, these people seem to have incredibly outsized egos, can’t recognize their errors, and therefore don’t cut our losses. It seems that with each step they take in this lurid dance with their Turkish counterparts, they’re trying to efface the shame and embarrassment of the previous step. They serve up some new, even grander plan. But this “new and improved” approach ends up digging them even deeper into a hole of utter shame. Plus they do all this behind closed doors, away from the “prying” eyes of those of us who have a stake in the future of our nation and actually care to make it better.
It’s time to start hitting the government of the RoA much harder than it’s ever been hit. It’s time to demonstrate at official events. It’s time to let our revulsion show. And if after everything they persist in their nationally destructive path, then it will be time to assemble in a national conclave- Artzakh, Javakhk, Turkey’s crypto-Armenians and overt ones too, and Diaspora-to declare that on matters of Armenian rights-territorial, human, Genocide, reparations-the government of the Republic of Armenia has no right to speak for us.
If you agree, please say so, especially when you meet government representatives or visit Armenia. Maybe they’ll get the message.
Leave a Reply