Arbak Khachatryan: If you are a rag yourself, what does it matter whose hands you are in — Europe’s, America’s or anyone else’s?

Next Sunday, 18 March, presidential elections will be held in Russia. Unlike the European Parliament, which does not intend to send its observers to the Russian elections, a delegation from Armenia’s National Assembly is hurrying to Russia to observe the elections organized by the “elder brother.”

Russia’s Armenian community, which played a noticeable part in the election campaign—even Armenian dhol and zurna music was played in Putin’s honor—intends to participate just as visibly on voting day. In a conversation with First Informational, independent expert Arbak Khachatryan (Moscow) found it difficult to say exactly how the Armenian community intended to vote. He questions the very existence of an Armenian community. “Armenians who left their homes, families and other problems behind in Armenia and came to Russia hoping to find work—what ideological decision can they make at all?”

Arbak Khachatryan said. He personally decided not to participate or vote for anyone. “For me, the main danger is that my nation is being enslaved and becoming a hostage to money; today shopkeepers have become the masters of the country, and the very concept of ‘society’ does not exist for them—they resolve only their own personal concerns,” he added. According to him, Armenia is a country without an economy, where institutions do not function, decisions are made by a single person and illegitimate steps are taken, something that has always been used against Armenia.

“This policy has been pursued in Armenia for 18 years already, and I oppose it because my home and my land are in Armenia. If these people now change their attitude and turn toward the United States, England or Europe, it makes no difference. It does not matter whom you sell yourself to—what difference does it make? A venal person always remains venal. This entire system is engaged in plunder today,” he added.

Arbak Khachatryan disagreed with the observation that the authorities in Russia must change first before change can be expected in Armenia: “They turn you into a rag, and in that case what does it matter who rules Russia? If you yourself are a rag, what difference does it make whose hands you are in—Europe’s, America’s or someone else’s? Civilized countries speak to you even more harshly than countries with a stronger regime. Today people come from Armenia without any social rights, come and work for local Armenians, and when they shout ‘Putin!’ do you believe them?”

He said society in Russia would vote for Putin, adding that the harder Russia is struck from outside, the louder the Russian people shout that their leader is Putin and there is nobody else.

Today every strong state follows the path of defending its own interests, and Russia does exactly the same. But the question is not what is happening; it is what position and situation Armenia may find itself in as a result: “For today’s plunderers, preserving their property matters most. I do not believe a single word they say, because their very way of life contradicts their television speeches.”

Arbak Khachatryan believes it was no accident that Russia began arming Azerbaijan: “The scoundrels who govern Armenia open shopping centers, extort money…

It is no accident that Russia found a stronger partner for itself, one with stronger positions in the region, and began working with it. Seven or eight years ago, when Medvedev signed that agreement on arms supplies, I pointed out the danger even then. But if your relative is a drug addict or a criminal, you have no desire to work with him. If they turn in another direction and that country’s position is completely weakened, people always work with countries that hold a definite position, that are not weakened, not ‘rags.’ Why was Armenia taken into account in Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s time, rather than even Georgia or Azerbaijan?

Although I believe these countries should have reached an agreement in the Caucasus to prevent it from being controlled from outside. After all, relations in the region are always established with whoever is stronger. But today our authorities value their two pennies more, are illegitimate and so forth,” he added.