Serj Sarkissian A Strongman?

[Z'areh]

I seriously doubt it.

 

A fake? Well you decide.

 

 

Those who see themselves (or want to be seen) as being "strongmen" more often than not are weak despotic leaders who rely on brute force or control the security apparatus in order to acquire or/and maintain power.

 

Serj Sakissian-Armenia's Defense Minister-seems to fit the bill. He has not only proven to be a fake (remember the AIDS "cure" Armenicum?) now he is lecturing to his own people that we "did not liberate any territories from Azerbaijan we simply silenced and removed enemy military installations".

 

he continues ..."who has lived in those territories in the last 100 years?"

 

If he doesn't qualify as being a fake as a Defense Minister of a country in war with its neighbour then I don't know who would.

 

Let's not laugh at George Bush, we seem to have our share of Bushes to deal with. What is unvelievable that he can and does say such things with total impunity.

 

This Defense Minister is defending his own prospects of a future career, by advertising his willingness to become a Yes-man for all those in want a Yes-man in office in Yerevan.

 

 

 

 

 

PARTICIPANTS OF ARTSAKH FREEDOM FIGHT DEMAND TO STOP NEGOTIATIONS TILL

"FORMATION OF LEGAL AUTHORITIES"

 

 

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. A group of volunteers and figures of

the Artsakh freedom fight made a statement on March 23, in which they

express a deep indignation "relating to the RA high-ranking officials'

defeatist, even Turks-pleasing process of the negotiations on the

Karabakh settlement." According to the document, at the operative

gathering of the RA Armed Forces' high-ranking staff, Defence Minister

Serge Sargsian stated: "What did we want in 88? We wanted the NKAR to

join Armenia, And what else do we want now? We weren't liberating the

land during the war, but we were annihilating weapon enplacements.

 

What a liberated land? That is the security zone. No Armenians have

lived there during the last hundred years. Which of you may prove that

Aghdam was Armenian. And placing of peace-keeping troops in the

security zone is beneficial for us." "The Minister, instead of giving

a worthy counterblow to the anti-Armenian hysteria promoted in

Azerbaijan day by day and to the growing war threat, many times has

already made an attempt to trecherously break the fighting spirit of

the Armenian people and army, to sow defeatist and panic moods among

the highest command and soldiers. This successive befaviour of the

last years is provided by the RA President's unquenchable wish to own

the post," is said in the statement.

 

According to the document authors, "not only Aghdan but many

territories after it are our Fatherland. Undoubtedly Nakhijevan as

well, which was given to the false state of Azerbaijan by the

Russian-Turkish agreement making Armenians victims, Karvajar,

Kashatagh, Kovsakan, Bargushat, Dizak and Haband are unseparable parts

of Armenia and differ from either Martakert and Hadrut or Syunik and

Lori in nothing." Participants of the Artsakh freedom fight state that

they won't allow "to sacrifice the Fatherland liberated at the cost of

life of the best Armenian-borns in the war imposed by Azerbaijan to

anybody's motives aspiring to power." They also insist that "the

people taken the power by force have no right to present themselves on

behalf of the Armenian people and Armenia," and "their future

officiating is fraught with disastrous results." The authors of the

document demand "to stop the negotiations held with Azerbaijan on the

Karabakh issue till formation of legal and national authorities in

Armenia," and call on "parties of Armenia to undertake the process of

dischargement of the acting RA Minister of Defence." Arkadi

Karapetian, the First Commander of the Defence Forces of Artsakh,

Field Commander Paykar Ghalumian, rocket-artillery troops officer,

Zhirayr Sefilian, the Commander of the Shushi special battalion, Murad

Ohanian, a member of the "Independence Army" union, Voskan Gulumian,

the Special Regiment Field Commander, Armen Yeghian, the Deputy

Commander of the NKR Defence Army military unit, Gagik Gabrielian, a

member of the "Mahapartner" (prisoners sentenced to death) regiment

and other participants of the Artsakh freedom fight.

Edited March 25, 2006 by Z'areh

[Aaron]

Zareh

 

If you were an armenian leader what would you say? Would you tell the russians, the americans, the french, the UN and the world to mind their own business? that all liberated territories have been inhabited by armenians a few centuries ago and that since they are now under your control, then you consider them liberated/returned territories and you're not going to return them. And that you don't care about their opinion on this issue.

 

What would you tell the world concerning their 700 000 refugees and the fact that no armenian village existed in those territories when we took them? Sure, the armenians were probably kicked out back in the days, but that does not pass as a valuable argument on the international scene. There is a difference in what we want and what we can achieve! The fact that a claim is legitimate does not necessarily make it realistic.

 

Of course there is a difference between strategic territories (kelbajar, lachin), and tactical ones (all the rest). The strategic territories are essential for our security and should be conserved ... as for the others, Serge and Robert have declared many times that if they can be exchanged for higher security garantees (independence, reunification) than the ones they provide now, then we're ready to cut a deal.

 

A.

 

PS: Serge has also risked his life for the homeland, and as a leader has to make tough decisions that are surely not to everyone's taste.

Edited March 25, 2006 by Aaron

[Z'areh]

Zareh

 

If you were an armenian leader what would you say? Would you tell the russians, the americans, the french, the UN and the world to mind their own business? that all liberated territories have been inhabited by armenians a few centuries ago and that since they are now under your control, then you consider them liberated/returned territories and you're not going to return them. And that you don't care about their opinion on this issue.

 

What would you tell the world concerning their 700 000 refugees and the fact that no armenian village existed in those territories when we took them? Sure, the armenians were probably kicked out back in the days, but that does not pass as a valuable argument on the international scene. There is a difference in what we want and what we can achieve! The fact that a claim is legitimate does not necessarily make it realistic.

 

Of course there is a difference between strategic territories (kelbajar, lachin), and tactical ones (all the rest). The strategic territories are essential for our security and should be conserved ... as for the others, Serge and Robert have declared many times that if they can be exchanged for higher security garantees (independence, reunification) than the ones they provide now, then we're ready to cut a deal.

 

A.

 

PS: Serge has also risked his life for the homeland, and as a leader has to make tough decisions that are surely not to everyone's taste.

 

Dear Aaron,

 

I only partially agree with your implication that a leader should not sound aggressive in the eyes of the international community, although this argument gets lost when we look at the reaction of the West (or lack of it) vis a vis the daily aggressive declarations of Ilham Alyiev.

 

Today’s world does not take kindly towards irredentist ideologies, however Karabakh AND the surrounding territories are hardly an irredentist issue. This is why irresponsible declarations of a Defense Minister turns the legitimacy of the return of those territories into an issue of irredentist nationalism. As Levon Ter Petrossian served the world community the notion of “let historians deal with history” on a silver plate, to the Turks’ delight, which turned into a mantra to sidetrack Armenian Genocide issue, Serj Sarkissian is following in Ter Petrossian’s footsteps in turning the issue of Armenian lands around Karabakh into an Azerbaijani homeland.

 

Worst is the real demoralizing atmosphere such declarations can create at a time when the enemy is openly threatening Armenia with resumption of war if it doesn’t get its way, and from Azeri declarations we see that the meaning of “its way” is the total return of the territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh.

 

So what DM Sarkissian is doing is taking his cues from the OSCE mediators who have “advised” the two sides to prepare their respective people for major compromises. Without hearing any compromise from the Azeri side Sarkissian’s statements actually can compromises Armenia’s security.

 

If Ter-Petrossian is Sarkissian’s model, then I’m afraid next declaration of our Defense Minister could come in the form of “Armenia’s security lies within the borders of its 29,900 sq. km.”

 

Of course the West would cheer such courageous leader’s presidential tenure.

 

Almost sacrificing one’s life in a struggle does not make an individual a wise statesman nor a courageous leader. In fact those who claim to have served the country can turn into individuals who demand that now is the time the country served them.

[Aaron]

I get your point Zareh. But I think you are mistaken in your opinion of Serge Sarkissian. He won't take the Ter petrossian path, he actually helped bring him down. Plus you can know much about his thought process by some of the interviews he's given. There is a very good one on the "Yerkir" website.

 

Take care

 

A.