Armenia's defense minister fails to accomplish intelligence mission to Russia

It is not excluded that it is already X hour for President Serzh Sargsyan and his government when not only the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the possible reopening of the border with Turkey, but also the fate of Armenia and the term that the current government has left in power, depends on further steps to be taken by Ankara, Moscow and Baku.

The events in some way related to Yerevan over the past few days are developing with incredible speed. As is known, Turkish PM  Erdogan discussed great deal of issues with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Following his Russia trip, Russia'n FM Lavrov arrived in Yerevan. Most likely, he visited Armenia to appease the government that partners with it in the CSTO. No more.

In the meantime, Armenia's Constitutional Court endorsed  the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

The fate of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish border is actually solved without Yerevan. Very few people in the region are interested in Yerevan’s opinion (when they actually did, Armenia was engaged in nonsense). Smart people outside the Armenian government predicted this development a few months ago.

Apparently, the government officials of the neighboring country began to slowly become aware of this fact. They could not help panicking, of course. The reason is clear: something happens, there is movement, it concerns you directly, but you are not told about it yet.  

As a result, Sargsyan and Co. could think nothing better than to send Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan as some sort of intelligence gatherer to Moscow. Certainly, the latter was strictly ordered to find out everything on the latest developments in the region as detailed as possible and not to come back without news.

How hard Ohanyan tried, he probably returned with no significant news. Though before his visit Ohanyan confidently told media that he would meet not only with his counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, but also a number of senior official, we saw nothing like that.  

He arrived in Moscow on Tuesday and met with Russian defense minister on Wednesday. They just discussed training of Armenian military personnel in Russian Defense Ministry universities  and prospects for the development of military and military-technical cooperation. In any case, this is what Russian Defense Ministry’s press office reported.

It makes no sense to think that they have decided to conceal the true subjects of negotiations. The Russian government has no naïve people. So, whatever Seyran ask, no one will reveal secrets of future strategic developments in the region to him and his boss.

Nothing depends on them at the moment. The less our neighbors will know, the better – there will be less panic, blackmail, public debates and other related general development in the region from Yerevan which might influence the process one way or another.

Sitting in the plane on his way back, Ohanyan certainly frantically pondered over what he will tell Sargsyan. After all, he failed to accomplish the mission and he and his boss will sit in the dark as long as Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan will not be willing to disclose the essence of collaborative decision making.

Yereven should blame itself for such scenario of events. It needs not to go beyond limits of blackmail and bluff. In the end, the it should also not go beyond limit of promises, which, in fact, are meaningless ...
 
Hamid Hamidov
Day.Az writer