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The U.S. Department of State declassified on March 24, 2021 a ‘secret’ government cable, under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The cable described the extensive efforts made by the Clinton administration in late October 2000 to block the vote in the House of Representatives on a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

As part of its efforts to defeat the resolution, top State Department officials exerted pressure not only on the leadership of the House of Representative, but also, unethically, on Armenia’s top leaders. As if it were not immoral enough to deny the occurrence of the Genocide and undermine its recognition, going much further, the U.S. government tried to enlist leaders of the victimized Armenian nation to support the denial of their own Genocide.

The ‘secret’ cable dated Oct. 16, 2000, described the conversation of high-ranking State Dept. officials with Foreign Minister of Armenia Vartan Oskanian and Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian, a few days before the House vote. The Clinton administration was extremely concerned with the passage of that resolution.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (Republican) had personally pledged, during an earlier meeting with Armenian community leaders in Glendale, California, to bring the resolution to a vote, at the request of Republican Cong. James Rogan who was in a tight race for reelection, in his heavily Armenian-populated district.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had sent letters to Speaker Hastert and Democratic Minority Leader Cong. Richard Gephardt objecting to the resolution. A similar letter was sent by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Meanwhile, Turkish leaders were threatening to disrupt political, economic and military relations with the United States, should the resolution be adopted.

The newly-revealed cable described a phone call between Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Oskanian a few days before the scheduled vote in the House. Here is what the cable stated: “Strobe laid out the essential pitch: Want to underscore why we think it’s important to postpone or defeat the resolution; hope you [Oskanian] will support or at least not hinder our efforts to work this on the Hill [Congress]. Strobe emphasized the possibility of violence should the resolution pass and noted all the other negative consequences, such as: events in the Middle east, dangers of Iraqi miscalculation following U.S.-Turkish differences, damage to Nagorno Karabagh process, consequences for Turkey-Armenia relations and vulnerability of Armenians in Turkey…. The position of the Government of Armenia, Strobe emphasized, would be very important.”

Everything Talbott told Oskanian was a lie. Two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide, similar to the pending resolution, had already been adopted by the House in 1975 and 1984. There were no negative consequences as a result of these earlier resolutions. The Turkish threats were empty bluffs as we saw it after the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Pres. Joe Biden in April 24, 2021. The world did not come to a stop. The more U.S. officials catered to Turkey’s threats, the bolder the Turkish leaders got with their scare tactics.

In addition, Deputy Secretary of State Talbott shamelessly asked Oskanian to support the postponement or defeat of the resolution. The is similar to asking victims to cover up the crimes of their victimizers or asking Israeli leaders for help to defeat a resolution recognizing the Holocaust!

In response, Oskanian told Talbott that he had just spoken with Pres. Kocharian. The cable stated that “the two had agreed it would take something tangible in hand from the Turks to be able to stop the ever-increasing momentum in favor of the resolution. In the absence of that ‘political minimum’ from the Turks, it would be domestic political suicide to stand in the way of congressional passage. The Armenians could, however, agree to simply keep their mouths shut as we worked this on the Hill, he said. In point of fact, he argued, the Government of Armenia’s position has always been that this is a matter of U.S. politics and they have nothing really to do with it.”

In the above statement, Oskanian made two points: one correct and one incorrect. He is right that it would have been “political suicide” for the Armenian government to oppose the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. However, Oskanian is wrong that the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the House is a matter of U.S. politics and that Armenia has nothing to do with it! How can an Armenian official make such a false statement? The Armenian Genocide is a critical matter for the Armenian government and all Armenians worldwide. Clearly, Oskanian was trying to distance Armenia from this resolution to appease the State Dept. In the meantime, Turkey was doing everything in its power to defeat the Genocide resolution. Turkish officials never stated that this is a matter of domestic U.S. politics!

Talbott then told Oskanian, according to the cable, that the passage of the Genocide resolution would disrupt Armenia-Turkey relations and halt “the whole truth and reconciliation process, which in and of itself was of far greater value to Armenia than the resolution.” This is another lie by Talbott, designed to fool Armenians into “reconciling” with Turkey without recognition of the Genocide and without holding Turkey responsible for the consequences of the Armenian Genocide. Regrettably, this meaningless and fruitless U.S. initiated “reconciliation” effort was formalized a few months later, under the name of “Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission.”

The cable then went on to describe the phone call from Stephen Sestanovich to Pres. Kocharian on Oct. 16, 2000. Sestanovich was ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the Secretary of State for the new independent states of the former Soviet Union.

According to the cable, Kocharian told Sestanovich that “the attention and discussion of the issue [of the Armenian Genocide] evoked in Turkey in many circles and the press was a positive development…. Instead of preparing for retaliation, Ankara should simply regard it as a domestic issue U.S. issue.” Sestanovich then tried to scare Pres. Kocharian by saying that the adoption of the Genocide Resolution would endanger Armenia and the Armenian community in Turkey. The U.S. official also predicted unrest and terrorist attacks against Americans in the Middle East.

Kocharian then stated that Armenia was “open to dialog as a tool of reconciliation” with Turkey. But he said he was not “worried about a backlash against Armenia and Armenians in Turkey.” Kocharian correctly noted: “I don’t think that the U.S. needs Turkey nearly as much as Turkey needs the U.S., and nations should not think that they can settle issues through blackmail and threats.”

The cable then mentioned that Kocharian provided three intriguing examples of possible dialog with Turkey without going into any details:

1) “An Armenian-Turkish businessman had recently suggested to him an idea for such dialog that could be acceptable.”

2) “Kocharian also had considered writing a letter to the President of Turkey expressing concern, but did not want to act on anything until the situation settled down somewhat.”

3)  Kocharian “pointed to Turkish-Armenian business interactions, including the planned privatization of a textile plant in Gyumri to a Turkish investor (Netex Textile), [as well as] University and NGO exchanges.”

The cable also stated that “in the long run, Kocharian concluded, Armenia cannot build normal relations with Turkey without addressing the Genocide.”

The vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution in the House was cancelled by Speaker Hastert at the last minute on Oct. 19, 2000, using as an excuse a letter from Pres. Bill Clinton urging him “in the strongest terms” not to bring it to a vote.

Not surprisingly, after retiring from the House, both Hastert and Gephardt were hired by Turkey as paid lobbyists in Washington. Subsequently, Hastert was convicted and jailed for bank fraud to cover up his sexual abuse of young boys. He was also accused of receiving bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turks to prevent the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Clinton was a shameful president who broke his promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In addition to Clinton, Presidents George Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama also broke their promises. Even though Pres. Trump had not promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide, he too did not acknowledge it. All of their names should be etched in a public “Wall of Shame.”

A scandalous propaganda tour was organized on July 9-10, 2021 by Azerbaijan’s despotic government to occupied Shushi and Hadrut to display “proudly” to foreign ambassadors its barbaric attack on the civilian population of Artsakh and partial destruction of one of its most sacred Armenian cathedrals.

Before I present the list of ambassadors of countries that exposed their hostility to Armenia by participating in this tour, it is important to note that the ambassadors of France, Russia, and the United States, who are members of the Minsk Group of mediators of the Artsakh conflict, refused to take part in this charade to the chagrin of the Azeri government. The Minsk Group thus indicated that it had no interest in Azerbaijan’s pompous show of its occupation of parts of Artsakh. Contrary to the repeated statements of Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, the Minsk Group still considers the status of Artsakh not resolved. The absence of these three major countries from this propaganda tour is a slap in the face of the Azeri government.

The 46 countries that shamelessly participated in this scandalous tour of the city of Shushi are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela. There are 63 foreign embassies in Azerbaijan, which means that 17 ambassadors refused to participate in the propaganda tour, including Argentina, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, and India, in addition to France, Russia and the United States.

The countries that took part in the Azeri tour should be severely criticized and condemned by all Armenians. Furthermore, the Armenian communities who live in these countries should express their strong disapproval. Demonstrations must be organized in front of the embassies of those countries in Yerevan and protest letters sent to their respective governments.

Of course, the most shameful participant in this tour is the ambassador of Greece, a country that is supposed to be a friend of Armenia. In addition to betraying Armenia, Greece violated its own interests and principles by taking part in this scandalous tour. The Greek ambassador must have forgotten that during the height of the Artsakh war last year, the Foreign Minister of Greece visited Yerevan to show his country’s solidarity with Armenia. He also forgot the insulting and undiplomatic words Pres. Aliyev used to address him during the presentation of his credentials in Baku.

I am pleased that the Greek media and Armenian community of Greece responded harshly to the country’s ambassador’s disastrous visit to Shushi and called on the Greek Foreign Minister to appear in Parliament to provide an explanation. It is not known if the Greek ambassador in Baku obtained the approval of his government prior to his tour of Shushi. If he did, that makes it an even bigger scandal. However, if the Greek Ambassador had not secured his country’s approval prior to his visit to Shushi, which is unlikely, then he should be immediately fired!

Rather than showing gratitude to Greece, Azerbaijan disrespected its submissive action by sending its first parliamentary delegation to the Turkish-occupied so-called Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. There are reports that Azerbaijan may soon recognize the statehood of Northern Cyprus. If that happens, Greece should immediately dispatch its ambassador in Yerevan to Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, and announce its recognition of the Republic of Artsakh. This would be the only way that Greece can atone for its envoy’s indiscretion and deliver a proper response to Azerbaijan’s recognition of Northern Cyprus.

In addition to the Armenian National Committee of Greece’s complaint, the ANC’s of Belgium and the Netherlands filed similar complaints with their respective governments. Protests should also be made to the other participating countries, particularly the governments of Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela.

I am pleased that the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Artsakh issued statements condemning the visit of the foreign ambassadors in Baku to Shushi: “The Republic of Armenia considers utterly unacceptable the visit of diplomatic representatives accredited in Azerbaijan to the occupied territories of Artsakh, including Hadrut and the historical center of Artsakh — Shushi, regions which were ethnically cleansed and their population was the subject of war crimes and other mass atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces during the recent aggression.” It was emphasized that by arranging such events “the Azerbaijani authorities are trying to legitimize the aggression against the people of Artsakh and to strengthen their own claims of having resolved the conflict by force,” stated the Armenian Foreign Ministry which also handed these ambassadors a “note verbale” or a note of protest addressed to their governments.

Rather than visiting the occupied territories of Artsakh, the foreign ambassadors in Baku should have issued a joint statement condemning Azerbaijan for importing Syrian terrorists to fight in the Artsakh war, committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, destruction of Armenian religious and historical monuments, and continuing to hold captive Armenian prisoners of war 10 months after the end of the conflict in violation of international law and the agreement signed by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia on Nov. 9, 2020.

At every opportunity, citizens of Armenia should remind the foreign ambassadors accredited to Yerevan the inacceptable participation of their colleagues in Azerbaijan in the Shushi tour. Similarly, Armenians living in the offending ambassadors’ countries should express their displeasure to their governments. By continuing to complain about this visit, Armenians will ensure that these countries and their ambassadors in Azerbaijan will think twice before they agree to participate in other propaganda activities on behalf of Azerbaijan.

The only proper response to Azerbaijan’s PR actions is for the Armenian government to organize a tour of Stepanakert, Artsakh, for the foreign ambassadors accredited to Yerevan. Will the Armenian government dare to make such a move and will it succeed in carrying it out? However, before embarking on such an initiative, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must fill the post of foreign minister which has been vacant for two months.

Several Azeri websites claimed that Armenians in Azerbaijan sent last October, in the midst of the Artsakh War, an appeal to “Catholicos Karekin II, Armenians of the world, and Armenians in Karabagh.”

One of the Azeri websites (Report News Agency) alleged that the “appeal was signed by a group of tens of thousands of Armenians” in Azerbaijan. Just from this one sentence alone, one can tell that this information is a complete lie as there are no “tens of thousands of Armenians” in Baku. After the brutal massacres of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku and elsewhere in Azerbaijan in 1988 and 1990 by Azeri mobs, almost all Armenians fled that country to save their lives. The few Armenians remaining in Azerbaijan are those who were married to Azeris. Living in constant fear, they use Azeri names to disguise their true identities.

I made two attempts to verify if this letter was authentic or fake. First, I checked with one of the Azeri websites that had referenced the letter. I asked for a photocopy of the letter. I wanted to see how many signers there were and their names. The Azeri website, most probably funded by the Azeri government, responded that they are unable “to conduct painstaking investigation!” The only place where the entire text of the fake letter appeared was in an Azeri website (Armenia.az) that regularly posts hundreds of anti-Armenian articles in Armenian and Russian. These articles are written by Azeris who formerly lived in Armenia and know fluent Armenian.

My next attempt to verify the letter was with the Information Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia, the alleged recipient. The Catholicosate was not aware of receiving such a letter and stated that it was most probably an example of Baku’s routine fabrication.

For the amusement of the readers here are excerpts from the English translation of the fake Armenian letter posted on October 9, 2020 on the Azeri website, Armenia.az.

“Today, tens of thousands of Armenians live in Azerbaijan. In this country, all people, regardless of religion or race, are treated equally. Everyone in this country enjoys the same rights granted to its citizens by the Constitution of Azerbaijan.” In this first two sentences of the letter, there are two obvious lies: “tens of thousands of Armenians live in Azerbaijan” and they “are treated equally” like all other citizens of Azerbaijan.

The alleged Armenian letter-writers appealed to Catholicos Karekin II to use his “authority and power… to end Armenia’s policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, return the occupied Azerbaijani lands to their owners, and help prevent unjust bloodshed.” No true Armenian would make such a statement, unless his or her life was threatened.

The letter then appealed “to Armenians of the world and various Armenian lobbies so people can live in peace,” claiming that an Armenian woman by the name of Karina Grigoryan in Ganja, Azerbaijan (Gandzak in Armenian), was seriously injured during the Armenian shelling. It is highly unlikely that such an Armenian woman lives in Gandzak. One thing is certain; no Armenian in Azerbaijan would be carrying such an obvious Armenian name. Those with Armenian names who lived in Azerbaijan were either killed or fled the country over 30 years ago.

The letter went on to claim that Azerbaijan “conducts anti-terrorist operations only in its territories, wishing to liberate its historical lands from occupation.” It is the height of hypocrisy for Azerbaijan to claim that it is fighting terrorism after bringing several thousand Syrian Islamist terrorists to fight against Artsakh in last year’s war.

The letter then appealed to “Armenians living in Karabagh” (Artsakh), falsely alleging that “30 years ago, you were happy in the lands of Azerbaijan, where you live now. Your material well-being was high, and all your human rights were protected, because Azerbaijan has always treated us as its citizens. And now the mafia leadership of Armenia has turned you into a victim of its own games. We are very sorry about this. You also have the right and the opportunity to live like a human being, but Armenia has deprived you of this. Wake up, it’s not too late and refuse to be a tool in this game. Azerbaijan will protect all your rights, including your safety. We are a clear example of this.” The content of the letter reads more like a comedy than a credible appeal. Those who concocted this letter are so delusional that they think Armenians will believe such obvious lies.

The letter finally appealed to Armenian mothers: “Do not close your eyes to the death of your children in the lands of Azerbaijan, because you did not bring them into the world to become victims of the game of certain forces.” It is very touching that the Azeri Government, masquerading as Armenians in Baku, would care so much about the well-being of Armenian mothers and their children!

The only good thing about this appeal is that the government of Azerbaijan is wasting a lot of money to pay Azeris, who would otherwise be unemployed, to prepare such useless letters and websites. No Armenian is going to believe a word of such fake news appearing in the website of Armenia.az (az stands for Azerbaijan). I suggest that the government of Azerbaijan also establish a TV and radio station to broadcast programs in Armenian in order to waste more of the money that their leaders have not yet stolen!

I do not think this was a real appeal issued by Baku Armenians. However, even if there is a shred of truth in the claimed letter, it means that Azerbaijan has adopted the Turkish policy of forcing its Armenian and other minorities to issue false propaganda statements in order to cover up its grave violation of human rights.

Michael Balestra, Special Agent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, submitted a 16-page sworn affidavit on June 21, 2021 to Judge Jennifer Boal against Arif Ugur, a Turkish national, requesting that an arrest warrant be issued.

Ugur was accused of:

1) Conspiring to export defense technical data from the United States to Turkey without an export license;

2) Exporting technical data from the United States to Turkey without an export license;

3) Committing wire fraud by devising a scheme of fraudulently obtaining contracts from the Department of Defense (DOD).

Ugur is a 52-year-old Turkish national who lived in Massachusetts intermittently since 2002. He became a Permanent Resident of the United States in 2005.

According to the affidavit, Ugur founded in 2015 the Anatolia Group Limited Partnership in Massachusetts, described as a domestic manufacturer and supplier of specialty machinery and parts to DOD. He was the sole partner.

The Affidavit claimed that “between July 2015 and September 2017, Ugur acquired dozens of contracts to supply DOD entities with various parts and hardware items used by the U.S. military. Many of these contracts required that the parts be ‘domestic end product,’ manufactured in the United States. In order to obtain these contracts, Ugur falsely represented to DOD that Anatolia would manufacture the parts at facilities in the United States. In fact, Anatolia had no manufacturing capabilities whatsoever and many of the parts that Anatolia supplied to DOD and its affiliates were manufactured overseas, including at least one manufacturer in Turkey. Some of these parts were substandard and, therefore, could not be used for their intended military purpose.”

Ugur provided the manufacturer in Turkey “with technical specifications and drawings of the parts, which he obtained from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).” Several of the drawings and specifications required an export license which Ugur failed to obtain, prior to exporting them to Turkey. He registered his company with the DLA which granted him access to DOD bids after he agreed in writing to comply with the strict legal requirements — not disclosing, sharing or providing foreign entities access to defense technical data, according to the affidavit.

On August 13, 2015, DLA provided Ugur access to technical specifications, drawings and other information concerning active DLA solicitations. That same day via email, Ugur notified three Turkish nationals on how to access the DLA ‘Collaboration Folders’ through the internet, including its library of ‘military critical technical data,’ the affidavit alleged.

Special Agent Balestra wrote in the affidavit: “In an email dated on or about July 27, 2016, a DLA purchasing agent asked Ugur to verify the ‘address of the actual manufacturing’ of Bracket Assemblies for the purpose of arranging an origin inspection…. In an email dated on or about July 28, 2016, Ugur told the contracting agent that the Bracket Assemblies were being manufactured by Anatolia at 90 Woodmont Road in Milford, Connecticut. I believe this statement was false, as Ugur knew that the Bracket Assemblies were being manufactured by the Turkish Manufacturer in Turkey. Ugur subsequently caused the Bracket Assemblies to be delivered to DOD in late August 2016 without allowing DLA to first inspect the parts at the place of manufacture. I believe that Ugur intentionally avoided the origin inspection in order to conceal from DLA the true place of manufacture: Turkey. Upon receiving the Bracket Assemblies, DOD determined that they failed to meet contractual specifications. DOD declined to pay Ugur and Anatolia for the Brackets, and they attempted (unsuccessfully) to return the parts to Ugur.”

A similar violation allegedly took place when DLA awarded Anatolia a contract to manufacture Groove Pulleys. On August 23, 2016, Ugur emailed the technical data related to the Groove Pulleys to Individual D, an employee of AYPIK located in Turkey, according to Balestra’s sworn affidavit. DOD determined that the Groove Pulleys failed to meet the contractual specifications.

Arif Ugur was arrested on June 22, 2021 and charged in federal court in Boston with one count of wire fraud, one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, stated in a press release the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.

“The charge of violating the Arms Export Control Act provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million, or twice the gross gain or loss of the offense. The charge of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss of the offense,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office pointed out that “the details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”

The snap parliamentary elections have been tumultuous. A lot has been written and said about the candidates in these elections as to who should lead Armenia in light of the recent devastating war, dismal condition of the people, and threats against the territorial integrity of Armenia and Artsakh.

Nikol Pashinyan came to power three years ago. The overwhelming majority of the Armenian people, both in Armenia and the Diaspora, fervently welcomed him, reacting to their dislike of the former leaders. However, Pashinyan did not justify the people’s enthusiastic support and their expectations. Many were disappointed with his inept performance both during and before the war. Even then, the antagonism for the former leaders was so intense and the prospect of their returning to power was so feared that most voters either stayed out of the election or voted for Pashinyan. What was really surprising is not so much Pashinyan’s landslide victory, winning almost 54% of the votes cast, but the fact that the coalition led by former Pres. Robert Kocharian was able to receive as high as 21% of the votes.

Nevertheless, the people in Armenia have spoken. We should respect their choice whether we agree with them or not. Diaspora Armenians do not have a vote in Armenia’s elections. Not even the citizens of Armenia who live outside the country can vote unless they go back home on Election Day. So, this is a choice made by those who live on the ground in Armenia. They will rightly bear the immediate impact of their choices, good or bad. In my opinion, Pashinyan does not possess the ability to lead a country with so many problems. Rather than finding solutions, he has regrettably made matters worse by his own incompetence and that of his advisors and ministers.

Regrettably, a lot of violent, vile, hateful and insulting words were said during the campaign, particularly by Prime Minister Pashinyan. It was unbelievable that he would wave a hammer during the campaign speeches and threaten to use it on his opponents after the election. He repeatedly threatened to lay them on the asphalt and plaster them to the wall! Those are words that no self-respecting leader should use in addressing his people, whether they support him or not. Pashinyan also told the people repeatedly that he will change his previously-described “velvet revolution” to a “steel revolution.” It is amazing to me that a man who came to power preaching tolerance and advocating democratic principles has turned into a tyrant who is threatening violence towards his own political opponents. Such hostile language is more appropriate to be used against Armenia’s foreign enemies.

I just hope that after suffering from the violence of our enemies, Armenians do not resort to commit violence on one another due to political disagreements. There should be a civilized discourse and polite expression of opinions.

The other strange phenomenon we encountered is the government’s announcement prior to the election that there were 2,578,678 eligible voters. This is a very strange figure given the fact that the country’s population is around 2.9 million. If one subtracts the 700,000 youngsters under the age of 18 who cannot vote, the number of the eligible voters should be much less than the announced figure. The only valid explanation is that hundreds of thousands of Armenians who permanently left the country many years ago are still registered as voters. The inflated number of eligible voters is the reason that the election results wrongly show that a little less than 50% of them voted. It is high time that the government update its voting registers to eliminate the large number of people who have left the country for good. Since voters need to have a domestic address, those who have moved out of the country should no longer be eligible to vote. Furthermore, cleansing the voting registers would eliminate election fraud as locals would be unable to vote for those who have left the country, as it has happened in the past.

As expected, there were a lot of accusations of voter fraud resulting in the losing sides rejecting to accept the outcome of the election. We need to wait for the courts to make their determination before we jump to any conclusions.

Pashinyan’s opponents had urged him to leave office and not let his government oversee the elections, fearing an undue influence over the electoral process. However, Pashinyan refused to do so and remained as a caretaker Prime Minister. As a result, he committed two serious violations even before the first vote was cast. He started campaigning several weeks before the legally authorized start of the campaign and used the resources of the government during his campaign trips, which is also illegal.

A sharply divided nation before the election became even more split after the election. Rather than advancing democracy in the country, successive elections have caused more instability in the country distancing Armenia further from any semblance of a democratic country. There is so much hatred among Armenians that one does not have to worry about Armenia’s enemies. Regrettably, Armenians have become their own worst enemy. It is incumbent on all Armenians, regardless of their political preferences, to lower the degree of hostility, especially in social media, and learn to express their disagreements without being rude and hostile. The onus is on the leader of the country to set an example of tolerance and urge everyone to be more civilized towards one another, instead of inflaming the passions and using threatening language. After all, we are all the sons and daughters of the same nation and we should put our collective interests and the survival of the nation ahead of any other issue.

Now that two parliamentary opposition groups are about to occupy one third of the seats in the Armenian Parliament, the discussions and disputes, no matter how sharp, should be transferred from the street to the halls of the legislature.

Finally, regardless of whom we supported in the elections, we should not lose sight of the fact that the people of Armenia and Artsakh are in a destitute situation, particularly after the recent war, and we should do whatever we can to support them. We should also try to help our leaders, even if we disagree with them. I hope, in return, Armenia’s leaders will welcome our extended hand and be willing to listen to the advice offered to them. We wish our people the best and pledge to do everything in our power to stand by them so they do not think they are abandoned to their tragic fate.

On November 18, 2020, a few days after the end of the Artsakh War, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan published a roadmap of promised actions in the following six-months. The Prime Minister also promised that “In June 2021 I will deliver the performance report of this roadmap, and the public opinion and reaction will be taken into account for deciding future actions.”

Now that seven months have passed from the Prime Minister’s roadmap of 15 promises, I would like to review his accomplishments and failings. Regrettably, Pashinyan has not kept his specific promise to deliver in June of 2021 a report on his performance vs. his promises. Such a report would have been very useful for the voters in Armenia to decide whom to support in the June 20, 2021 parliamentary snap elections which will select the next Prime Minister.

Rather than engage in mutual accusations and insults, the various political parties should have addressed the important issue of Pashinyan’s promises both kept and not kept. He said in November 2020 that he considered himself “the number one responsible person for the situation. I am also the main responsible person for overcoming the situation and establishing stability and security in the country.”

Let us now see if the Prime Minister has indeed succeeded in “overcoming the situation” resulting from the war and “establishing stability and security in the country.”

Here is Pashinyan’s 1st promise: “The restoration of the Karabakh negotiations process in the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship format, with the emphasis of prioritizing the status of Artsakh and return of Artsakh residents to their places of residence.” I would say this promise is mostly unfulfilled as the Minsk Group remains ineffective in settling the conflict. The status of Artsakh is unresolved. Azerbaijan is ignoring the Minsk Group, as it considers the Artsakh issue resolved by force. Russia believes the status is an issue for the future. Most of the refugees have returned to Artsakh, although several thousand still remain in Armenia.

Pashinyan’s 2nd promise: “Ensure the return of the residents of Artsakh to their homes. Entirely restore normal life in Artsakh. Restoration of damaged homes, apartments and infrastructures in the territories that are under the control of the Nagorno Karabakh authorities.” Normal life has not been restored in Artsakh, as thousands of people have lost their homes which are in the territories occupied by Azerbaijan. Others have their homes destroyed or damaged. Most Artsakh refugees have returned from Armenia. Artsakh’s authorities have restored some of the infrastructures. This is also a mostly unfulfilled promise.

Pashinyan’s 3rd promise: “Ensure social guarantees for the families of killed servicemen and citizens.” This is a mostly fulfilled promise.

Pashinyan’s 4th promise: “Restoration of residential and public buildings and infrastructures in the territory of Armenia that were affected during the war.” There has not been a major damage inside Armenia. Nevertheless, the government has given financial assistance to some border villagers who lost their homes. Mostly fulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 5th promise: “Ensure social guarantees, prosthesis process and professional training for servicemen who suffered disabilities.” Some of these actions have been taken, partially with the help of Diaspora Armenian doctors. No mention is made of caring for the thousands of wounded soldiers and civilians, some of whom are still waiting for treatment. Promise mostly fulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 6th promise: “Speedy return of captured servicemen and civilians. Ensure social guarantees for their families. Speedy clarification of the fates of those missing in action. Ensure social guarantees for their families.” A few dozen of the about 200 captured Armenian soldiers and civilians have been returned, although not “speedily.” In fact, since the war, Azerbaijan has taken 70 additional Armenian prisoners of war. The fate and number of missing soldiers remain uncertain. The families of the missing have been compensated. Promise mostly unfulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 7th promise: “The development of a psychological rehabilitation system for people who participated in the war and overall the entire society.” This is a promise mostly unfulfilled, particularly the part about “the entire society.”

Pashinyan’s 8th promise: “Confirmation of a military reforms program and launch of reforms.” There has been only talk of reforms, but no actual reforms. Promise unfulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 9th promise: “Overcoming of the coronavirus pandemic and elimination of its consequences.” The government’s handling of the coronavirus has been a disaster. Equally disastrous has been the extremely late and slow vaccination process. So far 4,488 Armenians have died of the coronavirus and 223,723 infected. Those who died from the virus exceed those who were killed in the war. Failed promise.

Pashinyan’s 10th promise: “Restoration of the economic activity environment.” Economic activity has been as dismal in Armenia as in the rest of the world. Promise unfulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 11th promise: “Activation of programs for solving demographic problems.” Another unfulfilled promise. No progress in this regard. On the contrary, emigration has increased.

Pashinyan’s 12th promise: “Amendments of the Electoral Code and adoption of a new law on political parties.” The electoral code has been amended, some with immediate effect and others as of next year. The new electoral process is so complicated that most people in and out of Armenia are completely confused. The law on financing of political parties has been amended. Promise is mostly fulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 13th promise: “Introduction of the institution of specialized judges, as the first step in creating the Anti-Corruption Court. Launch of implementation of the illicit asset confiscation law.” Progress was made on the institution of specialized judges dealing with corruption. It remains to be seen if it has any effect on eliminating corruption. Promise mostly fulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 14th promise: “Holding permanent thematic consultations with representatives of Armenia’s political and civil society organizations.” There has been some consultation between the Prime Minister and several political parties, although such consultations have been selective and not permanent. No meetings have been held with civil society organizations. Promise mostly unfulfilled.

Pashinyan’s 15th promise: “Holding permanent thematic consultations with Armenian organizations and individuals in the Diaspora. Involvement of individuals and organizations of Armenia and the Diaspora in the above-mentioned processes.” This has been a total failure. A promise unfulfilled. There have been no occasional, let alone permanent, consultations with Diaspora Armenian organizations and individuals. Despite the Prime Minister’s repeated promises, he has not acted to amend the laws to allow Diaspora Armenians to assume high offices in the government. It has also not made a plan to tap the experience and expertise of Diaspora Armenians, except when it comes to seeking donations with little reporting about their expenditures.

The Prime Minister has Mostly Fulfilled: 5 promises; Mostly Unfulfilled: 5 promises; Unfulfilled: 5 promises. You be the judge.

In my opinion, Armenia has two main tasks to accomplish as soon as possible: 1) Strengthen the military immediately. 2) Elect a government of technocrats who have the leadership qualities and expertise to run a country on the brink of collapse.