Armenia Clutched by Autocratic Leaders in the East and in the West

No one in Armenia takes any call of the “leader” of our western neighbor seriously. We remember the atrocities his Ottoman predecessors committed 100 years ago. My own family suffered from the Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. As a result, the surviving members of my family spread around the world and now I have relatives in several countries: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, France, the US, Brazil, Australia to name few. Probably there are others in other countries of whom I am not aware.

The anti-Armenian rhetoric of the “leader” is well known: in 2010 he threatened to expel Armenians, lashed out at the West and Russia for recognizing Armenian killings as Genocide, stretched relations with the US, Germany and others, denied the Genocide and tried to punish those who use the word Genocide. The “leader” tried to erase the Christian past of Asia Minor.

The “leader” was elected in 2018 when Turkey was under a state of emergency. Out of 246 thousand prisoners in Turkey, about 49 thousand were charged with or convicted of terrorism offences. Hundreds of young Turkish children were jailed alongside their moms. Very recently, Turkey convicted a human rights activist on terror charges. A month ago, a Turkish lawyer died on hunger strike demanding a fair trial. A prominent Turkish philanthropist and businessperson is in prison for more than 1000 days without ever being convicted of a crime. The “leader” also targets social media.

While the Turkish economy is in a dire state and the Turkish lira is in freefall, he builds expensive palaces here  and there using budget funds.

Several countries, including the US, France  and others claim that Turkey is meddling in Libya and the UN revealed facts of rape, ethnic cleansing and looting by Turkish backed extremists in Syria.

Very recently, in July 2020, his lieutenants openly threatened Armenia. Now he deploys Syrian fighters against Armenians, supplies military equipment to Azerbaijan  and activates the Turkish military air force around Armenia. He continuously threatened Armenia and now tries to meddle in Armenian internal affairs.

The “leader” is trying to help the kleptocratic ruler in the East who has stolen billions of dollars from his own people using Azerbaijani Laundromat, used caviar diplomacy to buy votes abroad and violated human rights for several years.

Armenia’s strategic ally doesn’t want an independent Armenia. Instead of calling for extending military support to one of the few strategic allies that Russia still has, its messengers herald that the last chance for Armenia to survive is to have a referendum and become part of Russia. Nothing novel. Armenia has already experienced such “help”. When Armenia “joined” the Soviet Union 100 years ago, Stalin “transferred” Karabakh to Azerbaijan to placate Turkey.

Armenia had a referendum of Independence on 21 September 1991. More than 95 percent of registered voters participated in referendum and more than 99 percent voted for Independence. Armenia had free and fair elections in December 2018. The majority of the Armenian public has high confidence in its Government and nobody can meddle in Armenian affairs.

Nobody needs to call on the Turkish or Azerbaijani people to overthrow the bloody “leader”. It will happen.