Paul Antonopoulos,
The Armenian nation is facing an existential crisis and as events in Yerevan show, the Armenian people are more divided than ever.
It’s not my place to judge whether the protests are correct or not, but I must ask the question: as the protests continue and with Pashinyan determined to hold power, who is digging trenches and tunnels in Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Ararat, especially as parts of some of these regions are already occupied by Azerbaijan? Who is hiding weapon caches and mining key areas? Who is preparing local defense forces to become potential guerrillas?
This will not stop with Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), even if there is a temporary “reprieve”. Aliyev waited three years before taking the next step in Nagorno-Karabakh and can wait several years more before launching the “West Azerbaijan” project, which has already entered mainstream Azerbaijani discourse and consciousness. Or he could take this opportune moment of the Armenian division to seize more land and finally connect the detached Nakhichevan province with Azerbaijan proper. Either way, Armenia is in immediate danger and nothing is being done to prepare sufficient defenses. You don’t need to listen to me, listen to your own martyrs: “If we lose Karabakh, we will turn the final page of Armenian history,” Monte Melkonian. Protest if you must, but also get to work, a lot needs to be done and only the Azeris know how much time you have.