U.S. makes choice between Turkey & Armenia

The Armenian experts absorbed into the discussion of U.S. President Barack Obama’s budget message, in which he called for a substantial - 19% - reduction in an economic aid to Armenia.

Clearly, the matter is not the final amounts of economic aid from the U.S., but the tendency. It should be noted that the Obama administration proposes to allocate additional $3.6 million in International Military Education and Training for Turkey, given that that Turkey continues to play an increasing role as a growing global partner.

Thus, the U.S. leadership clearly demonstrates that Armenia loses its importance for it on the backdrop of a substantial increase in the importance of Turkey.
 
Armenia has been and is doomed to continue to be an outpost for some world or regional powers. Armenia has no resources for more. While Turkey is a very significant regional power with its own views and attitude towards processes in any corner of the world, with the opinion and weight, with which even its enemies reckon.

In addition, the White House is well aware of the essence of Armenia’s current leadership. This is a criminal-oligarchic clan, robbing own people and destroying anyone who attempts to encroach on authority, which has resulted in the killing of 10 civilians protesting against the massive fraud in the presidential election in 2008. The White House is also well aware of the fact that the authorities in Armenia are people with the criminal ‘nicknames’, that this country has no freedom of speech, the law is inactive and replaced by ‘criminal’ orders, in which the Armenian leadership forces its people to live. So, Obama’s this proposal is a clear sign to personally President Serzh Sargsyan and his followers that the time has come for them to change, so that to avoid replacement.

The U.S. is also informed about the active development of the Armenian-Iranian economic and political relationships. Of course, Yerevan’s these actions cause dissatisfaction of the White House. And the White House openly makes it clear to Yerevan, starting with a proposal for a substantial reduction in the U.S. economic assistance to Armenia.
 
It should be noted that the United States, which initiated a project on the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, clearly demonstrates whom it blames for the project failure. Sending this message to Yerevan, the White House will now be closely watching how the Armenian leadership understands its essence. Maybe in the near future it will show its docility and it will be seen in the resuscitation of the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, which will be implemented in parallel with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ankara and Baku have repeatedly stated about the impossibility of separating these processes from each other. How much Turkey is important for the United States was always clear, and Obama’s statement that Turkey continues to play an increasing role as a growing global partner of the United States, is another evident to this.

Cooperation with Azerbaijan also is of great importance to Washington. Because the U.S. stands for ensuring the energy security of the United States allies in Europe and worldwide, which means the integration of the Caspian energy basin in the world economy. Today, the U.S. is interested in establishing a trans-Caspian transport route, in which Azerbaijan’s has a significant role.  Realization of the these projects requires a lasting stability in our region, and the United States and Azerbaijan share common views here.

Washington, as well as Baku, believes that the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh directly affects the stability and development of the South Caucasus, increasing the degree of dissociation and preventing the development of comprehensive cooperation among the regional countries, as well as a full integration of these countries into the international political and economic space.

Armenia’s position is only obstacle on the way of a stability and development of our region. So, Obama’s budget message says that the U.S. leadership has decided to pursue the policy of pressuring on Yerevan. Therefore, mostlikely we will soon see concrete steps of Yerevan, demonstrating ability to understand the message of the U.S..
 
It is possible that all this can result in Armenia’s complete geopolitical reorientation from the Russian direction on American, in a gradual and inexorable decline in the Armenian-Iranian cooperation, as well as in Armenia's sudden understanding of hopelessness of life in a state of unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan, and with closed borders with Turkey. In other words, very soon we will see the real fruits of pressuring on  Armenia  to peaceful ties with its neighbors.


Akber Hasanov /Day.Az/