The September 21 celebrations dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s independence started with scandals, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes, noting that journalists were not allowed to cover the visit of Nikol Pashinyan and other officials to the Yerablur military pantheon.
“Obviously, this was due to the fact that a group of people were going to interfere, blaming the prime minister for the death of their sons.
Earlier, it became known about Pashinyan’s proposal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resume talks on normalization of relations.
Two weeks ago, Nikol Pashinyan announced a lavish celebration of the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence, in response to objections to the inappropriateness of “special celebrations” amid a military defeat in the 44-day war, saying it would be held in memory of the victims.
After that, he left for Tbilisi on a visit, during which he apparently passed an offer to Erdogan through his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili.
At the press conference, the Turkish leader spoke about the wish of the Armenian Prime Minister and warned. “You have to take appropriate steps. We are not closed for a meeting, but we need goodwill. “If this meeting takes place, Turkey is ready to establish diplomatic relations.”
Erdogan expressed hope that Yerevan և Ankara’s ally Baku will overcome the difficulties by opening the so-called “Zangezur Corridor”, which will connect Azerbaijan with the Nakhichevan Autonomy. However, Turkish media reported back in August that Turkey was ready to normalize relations with Armenia if Yerevan renounced its claims to the Genocide, “Turkish territories called Western Armenia” (quotation marks), left Karabakh altogether. to secure Baku “through Nakhichevan”. From this we can assume that the behind-the-scenes contacts between Yerevan and Ankara on the resumption of diplomatic relations began at least this summer.
It should be reminded that the last attempts to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations were made in 2008-2009. At that time, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Abdullah Gul met during football matches with the participation of their national teams. The process called “Football Diplomacy” reached its peak in 2010. By signing the Zurich Protocols on October 10, 1945, bilateral agreements were envisaged to begin the process of normalization of relations without preconditions. Despite the fact that the United States, Russia and France were interested in the implementation of the agreements, the case did not go beyond the actual signing. Ankara came under strong pressure from Baku, which reminded of the fraternal debt in the Karabakh issue, և Turkey, which depended on Azerbaijan’s energy supplies, moved backwards.
The implementation of the agreements in Turkish nationalist circles was really considered a betrayal of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, part of the Armenian society feared that the normalization of relations with Turkey would pose a threat to Armenia. In particular, the fact that the opening of the borders between an economically problematic Armenia with a population of 3 million and an economically much stronger Turkey with a population of 80 million may lead to the de facto absorption of one state by another.
Today, Pashinyan’s initiative is again unacceptable for a part of the Armenian population. The reason is not only the fears, but also the situation created as a result of the 44-day war. In the last war, as it is known, Turkey’s unprecedented military support to Azerbaijan played an almost fatal role for the Armenians. In such circumstances, it is inappropriate to contact Ankara through mediators.
The Alternative Projects expert group has published an article stating that there is a law in the world to avoid actions that could lead to a split in society. However, the Armenian authorities do not consider it necessary to adhere to it. According to the authors of the article, these days the authorities can speak in front of the Armenian society only by apologizing for the fact that the interstate highway (we are talking about the Goris-Kapan road) is controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces, and the security of Armenian citizens is protected by Russian peacekeepers. It is better to announce your resignation instead of apologizing.
The expert group sharply criticized the very idea of the gala concert dedicated to the Independence Day, considering it harmful to the reputation of a state that is contrary to morality.
Observers note that Pashinyan’s call to Erdogan followed regular Azeri-Turkish military exercises, now in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. Motorized infantry units, special forces, special forces take part in the exercises called “Indestructible Brotherhood – 2021”
detachments և other types of troops. The next demonstration of the strength of the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance, presumably, presupposes not so much the intimidation of Armenia, but the response to the actions of Iran, which has moved a large army to the border with Azerbaijan. This, in turn, is probably related to the arrests of Iranian truck drivers on the Goris-Kapan highway.
And it is more like a reaction to the recent Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises in the Caspian Sea. The military presence of a non-Caspian state in the watershed violates the Convention of the five Caspian littoral states.
“As this article was being prepared for publication, it was reported that the Armenian authorities had given up on lavish celebrations in the evening and decided to limit themselves to a classical music concert,” concludes columnist Yuri Rox.