The world order is crumbling before our eyes, and our contemporaries are worried about how it will change, how it will affect the lives of living generations. There are concerns, and not minor ones.
It would be wrong to say that Armenian society is indifferent to these issues. There are feelings of unease deep inside it. However, what triggers most Armenians’ worries is not thoughts about the future of the global system, but rather the specifics of regional changes. Irevan cannot wait to see a change in the status quo that resulted from Azerbaijan’s victory in the Patriotic War of 2020.
Amid the complicated relations between the West and Russia, the West and Turkey, the thinking cluster delved headlong into moral preaching, complaining that it is the “devaluation of values”, of all things, that is a matter of life and death to them. By values they mean the moral components affecting the mindset of the competent elites in one way or another.
All in all, this is a favorite topic of the Hay society, which always sees itself as the pinnacle of moral perfection, if not moral superiority. Where does this arrogance come from? Everyone seems to have accepted it. Even foreigners, known for their tolerance, are sometimes enraged by Armenian self-praise, although they do not show it.
But this is not the point; the point is how eager Armenians are to see intense collisions and aggravations on the East-West and West-Turkey axis. Many of them live in anticipation of the impending denouement, meaning the collapse of relations between the West and Turkey and a new Western sanctions offensive against Russia, which, by the way, is still an ally of Armenia.
One cannot fail to notice that most Armenians are consumerist-minded and have made it a rule to extort, rather than attract attention with their hard work. They have adopted the practice of getting something from others just because they are special. That is how they got used to preparing for their new tomorrow by doing nothing today.
Irevan makes no secret of its anticipation of the collapse of Ankara’s relations with the collective West. The Westerners’ scheme with the decision to close general consulates in Istanbul was a balm for the Armenian souls, though only inveterate dreamers can see a cause for much joy in a trivial provocation.
Ankara’s reaction was immediate. It responded to the stunt of the Western nine in an adequate manner, by reminding that Turkey fully guarantees the security of all foreign diplomatic missions on its territory. Irevan, meanwhile, expected the show to go on: with subsequent evacuation of diplomats and staff of the Western missions.
Many jumped to the conclusion that the West had finally launched a campaign of pressure and that strong support for the Turkish opposition, which has a chance of winning the upcoming presidential election, would surely follow.
It is unclear why and based on what data the Armenian political science community suddenly started broadcasting horror stories about panic in the Turkish establishment. Sources are earnestly predicting a resounding failure of the current Turkish government. For Armenians, the fiasco of Erdoğan’s government would mean Azerbaijan’s failure, as if Baku would be doomed without an ally, and then the hour of triumph would come for Armenian fascism again. Yes, keep holding your breath.
Given the West’s ambitious stance on Turkey, there is another possible advantageous situation that would also put Putin’s Russia, who pissed off the Armenians and left them alone with Azerbaijan, under the blows of the “moral force”.
The logic is that Erdoğan’s Turkey is allegedly covertly helping Russia, while the West is blockading the aggressor occupying Ukrainian lands.
And once again, the Hays are playing the role of whistle-blowing moralists. They say that Turkish companies bypass sanctions and export strategic goods worth tens of millions of dollars to Russia, while the supplies are used to support the needs of the Russian Armed Forces.
By pitting everyone against each other, they push things into a vicious circle of aggravation, following a twisted logic. If we have it bad, then our enemies should have it even worse, and then we will get all the glory. Morally bankrupt cynics and warmongers, the Hays urge others to be ethical.
Armenians continue to see Turkic people as the embodiment of evil, though Azerbaijanis and Turks see them as failures. Do they deserve to be treated differently? Wouldn’t they be better off focusing on themselves, on how other small nations present themselves, showing respect for their own dignity first and foremost?
Centuries of weakness have given rise to their unprecedented parasitism, instilling in them the habit of dependency, so they cannot exhibit noble qualities and look like a mature, self-sufficient nation. And crying about the “tragedy” of a handful of Karabakh Armenians has become the trademark of disgraced loudmouths who revel in worldwide wailing and repugnant genocidal lamentations.
It is impossible not to see of how balanced assessments of unbiased Westerners cause anger and fury among Armenians. It would seem that when EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson during a meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev says that Brussels is willing to expand ties with Baku in the energy generation program, it reflects exactly the sentiments of Europeans. So why do they take offence at the truth and call the position of the plenipotentiary a disgrace? Just because the detractors do not like it? Apparently so.
It is laughable when cheap moralists bring up the subject of “devaluation of values” in the context of pathetic reflection and feeble position. Instead of spewing drivel and getting carried away with nonsense about their own exceptionality, they should look around and prove their worth with basic competence in the face of a host of national problems.
It seems that they would do well to start with moral rehabilitation, to be able to look at the world through the prism of sobriety and self-criticism. Perhaps that will help to get rid of the delayed life syndrome.
Tofig Abbasov
Translated from Minval.az
