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13.06.2013

A NEW KIND OF GENOCIDE HAS BEEN PERPETRATED IN THE MIDDLE EAST Interview of Gagik Harutyunyan to ArmInfo Information Agency

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David Stepanyan

Judging by the recent wrangling in the UN Security Council and the reaction of Iran and Israel, it seems that the Syrian conflict is gradually passing into a new plane. In your opinion, what new impulses around the developments in Syria can be expected in this aspect in the nearest future?

It has been much spoken about the involvement Iran and Israel in the Syrian conflict. They acknowledge in Tehran that Iran will follow Syria and that is the reason why “Hezbollah”, and according to some opinions even groups connected with the “Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution” are actively involved in the events in Syria. It is natural that Syria, in its current condition, is not very acceptable for Israel, though some experts appeal that Tel-Aviv is not interested in overthrowing of Assad. In this case Syria might be flooded by terrorists who will then endanger the security of Israel. In my opinion a real threat to Israel is rather strong and united Syria than scattered groups of terrorists, which Israelis has always brilliantly dealt with. That is why, while speaking about outside intervention, we have to take into consideration, that there is a typical war in Syria and not opposition or local rebels protests. According to the estimations of the experts and observers, the number of the Syrian citizens in the militants units does not exceed 15-20%. All the others are the mercenaries from Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other regimes in the Middle East as well as citizens of some western countries and post-Soviet republics (e.g. Azerbaijan). All these forces are actively supported by NATO first of all by means of its member – Turkey. In other words it is Turkey that is fighting against Syria and Turkish military officers were killed and captured by the Syrian governmental troops.

There is information that occasionally Turkey tends to solve in Syria acute “Armenian question” by destroying Armenian churches and compelling Armenians – the descendants of those who survived the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire – to leave hospital Syria, which sheltered them...

Even if Turkey does not have a special plan on displacement of the Armenians from Syria, destruction of the Armenian and in general Christian cultural values, the fact remains that the descendents of the Armenians who survived the Genocide perpetrated by the Turks today are suffering from the displacement, thanks to the efforts of that very same Turkey. Our compatriots are the bearers of the western Armenian cultural and civilizational code. The communities in the Middle East has had great influence in the context of preserving of the Armeniancy, Armenian civilization, culture in the countries of the Eastern and Western Europe, America. And now, when the members of the Armenian communities in Syria and Middle East are actively emigrating to Europe, North and South Americas, we are losing our very important national segment. It should also be mentioned that in case of implementation of a negative scenario, there will be no place in new Syria not only for Armenians and Christians in general, but also for the Syrian Alawis.

What is the difference between the situation in Syria and other “Arab revolutions”?

The events in Syria should be viewed through the prism of processes, which has been taking place in the Middle East in recent years. We remember how in consequence of the aggression against Iraq a typical eastern dictator Saddam Hussein who killed 5 thousand Kurds in chemical attack was executed. Meanwhile, according to the most modest figures more than half a million people were killed in that very Iraq after overthrowing of Hussein and coming of the Americans. A mechanism, by means of which Iraqis killed Iraqis, Arabs killed Arabs and more than million people left the country, was launched. This is argued by neither UN, nor other international organizations. And after the American operations in Iraq there were almost no Armenians left in the Arab part of Iraq. Some Armenians found shelter in the Iraqi Kurdistan. Comparing situation in Iraq and Syria one can drive to a conclusion, according to which it looks as if a new mechanism was launched in the region; it is a new kind of Genocide when the peoples of these countries are self-destroying each other. And this is systematic and stable process, which happens every day against the background of total degradation of the statehood. And in this aspect it is very important to find those who ordered all this, due to whom this mechanism was launched. This is new kind of Genocide, which goes beyond all the canons and notions. In Syria governmental troops considerably succeed in the struggle with the variegated rebels supported by the western special services due to the Iranian, Russian and indirectly Chinese support. But even this success cannot stop the process of degradation of Syria as a state, because the life is defected – according to the figures of international organization approximately 1.2 million people left the country and the number of victims goes beyond 80 thousand. It is even needless to speak about the condition of the economy.

And who has, in your opinion ordered it?

Today, in my opinion it is almost impossible to point out those who ordered it. Those times has passed. Everything is very closely interconnected and in such issues some western countries, Qatar, Saudi Arabia as well as transnational companies play major role. For example, for me personally the stance of Germany, which unlike France, voted against anti-Syrian resolution and has very reserved attitude towards the Syrian conflict, is sympathetic. That is why it is difficult to name one country, which ordered this far uncontrollable chaos. The Americans are already concerned with the empowerment of Al-Qaida in Syria. Every day the terrorist acts, which are at least equivalent to the one in Boston, are taking place in the Middle East, thousands of people are killed, which has to be a great tragedy for whole world. Thus, the processes in Syria are qualitatively different from the processes, which took place on Libya, Tunis, Egypt and even Iraq, in which no opposing external powers, at least in an organized way, were involved. The same Iran, Russia and China in fact come down on the side of Assad, calling for appropriate peaceful settlement of the Syrian conflict. And in these processes, which take place in the proximity of the Armenia’s borders, Turkey and Azerbaijan, the organized bandit groups of which, are fighting against Syrian governmental army, are involved.

What impact will the excessive activity of Turkey and Azerbaijan in Syria have on the relations of Ankara and Baku with Moscow?

The involvement of Turkey in the Syrian conflict will never contribute to the development of the Russian-Turkish relations. Today Turkey and its closest ally – Azerbaijan, felt themselves independent actors and afforded to send Russians out of Ghabala. In response Moscow ceased running Baku-Novorosiysk oil pipeline, restricted military supplies to Azerbaijan. These all proves that the relations between Baku and Moscow tend to worsen. And these are not the relations they had two years ago. Of course, during the visits to Moscow good words are said, but this does not change realpolitik. All this cannot but alert Armenia, because Turkey, filling itself a regional superpower, in case of success in the Syrian-Iranian direction, may take any steps. Turks are not the obeying NATO members they once used to be in the days of the “Cold War” and today, having a strong army, they can allow themselves acting independently. In its turn Azerbaijan feels itself alleviated in the shade of such a patron, which is proved by the rhetoric of official Baku.

How will this, in your opinion, influence Karabakh conflict settlement, taking into consideration the fact that Russia still remains the main mediator in the Karabakh conflict?

This is very complicated issue, because the answer can be searched only in the statements of the Russian officials, e.g., Secretary General of CSTO Nikolai Bordyuzha. I don’t know why but I remember the words of President Dmitri Medvedev who advised: “don’t make Russia solve all the issues in 5 days”. I believe that the ally relations with Russia and being the CSTO member is the additional guarantee ensuring that any aggression will meet a rebuff. This is seemed to be realized in Baku too.

On May 20 the press-service of the Milli Majlis refuted reports spread a day before by some pro-governmental media citing the text of a bill “On the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan”, which stipulated for the criminal sanctions against the citizens of Azerbaijan for cooperation with Armenia. What is, in your opinion, the reason of such information releases?

We attentively follow such information releases (which very often are not confirmed later) in mass media and I have a filling that Azerbaijan is a little fevered in the aspect of the domestic policy. The situation in their domestic policy is rather unstable. They have many problems connected with the national minorities, religious sects, such as Wahabees, Sunnites, and Shiites, which spread eager activity in Azerbaijan. Real religious confrontation is unfolded there. This all is supplemented by Ilham Aliyev overstepping all the possible verges and ruling country for quite a long period after making ambiguous amendments to the Constitution. This all proves that huge means spent in Azerbaijan on the army are not a panacea from the domestic troubles. That is the reason why Aliyev constantly needs overstepping new and new inadmissible lines. And a proposal “to bring criminal action against the citizens of Azerbaijan, cooperating with any organization or institution from Armenia till the full liberation of the occupied lands” is one of such actions. But, someone clever advised them not to do this and it explains abandoning previously announced repressions”.


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