Serzh Sargsyan realizes he is in complete impasse: political expert

Day.Az: At present, protest actions are staged against Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan by the Armenian diaspora in the West prior to the possible signing of protocols on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. What is the reason for discontent of the Armenian diaspora?

Fikrat Sadigov: The question today is that the public, both Turkey and Armenia, as paradoxical as it sounds, is set directly opposite. While 70 percent of Turkish society back opening of borders between the countries, there are contradictory processes on this issue in Armenia. Here, the reaction of the Armenian diaspora plays a role as well. The diaspora has always ruled the domestic political processes in Armenia.

In all processes related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian diaspora has always been a film director and screenwriter.

What is now happening in the West during Sargsyan’s trip shows that the Armenian diaspora has a negative attitude to the signing of protocols with Turkey, because in its opinion, those grandiose plans that the rich circles of the Armenian diaspora have developed to tear away Karabakh from Azerbaijan are being shattered.

Now the Armenian diaspora is not as monolithic as before. Nevertheless, the ongoing protests in the West are influence of wealthy and influential circles of the diaspora, who will not benefit from the processes in the Caucasus. They need to keep the situation volatile and implement their plans to tear away Karabakh from Azerbaijan, in which they have once invested considerable money.

But now the situation has radically changed. Major powers stand behind the process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations.

Q: What is the situation in Turkey?

A: With regard to Turkey, the surveys conducted there indicate that majority of the population backs opening of borders between Armenia and Turkey. But this does not mean that it is against resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. They are interrelated processes and statements by Turkish officials claiming that Turkey is ready to defend the interests of Azerbaijan are not accidental.

Q: There are Armenian terrorist organizations in the world such as ASALA. It is known that Armenian terrorism manifests itself in the fateful moments of history, for example, as in case of shooting Armenian deputies in the parliament. What radical steps can Armenians take in order to disrupt signing of the protocols?

A: There are many opponents of signing of the protocols in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora in the West.  But I would not say that to prevent the signing of the protocols anyone will be "taken away". Now everything is done in line with the agreed political points with the major powers.

But, on the other hand, nothing can be ruled out. At one time, when Levon Ter-Petrosyan also tried to bring a phased solution to the Karabakh conflict, the reactionary forces led by Kocharian and Sargsyan simply replaced it and began to pursue their policy.

Of course, Armenians,  in general, are a nation which is always being led and decides nothing on its own. It always obeyed the will of the great powers.

At the time Armenians were resettled in the South Caucasus. Then a script was written for them to seize Nagorno-Karabakh. They implemented it with Ter-Petrosian, then Kocharyan and now with Sargsyan.

Today Sargsyan realizes that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and it is in an impasse.

/Day.Az/