"Armenian sufferings" in monetary terms
£350,000 store is not sore

ANALYTICS  01 February 2023 - 15:35

The incessant cry of the world Armenians about the situation on the Lachin road still brings real investments in the "land of stones".

The British Start Fund will allocate £350,000 [$431,530] in aid to "victims of the Lachin corridor blockage". The Armenian media reported this, citing a representative of British Foreign Minister David Rutley, as quoted by the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC UK). According to reports, the Start Fund, led by the Start Network, a British charity comprised of several NGOs (for which the UK is the primary donor), will allocate £350,000 to those who "suffered from the Lachin corridor blockage".

Analyzing this fact, one could confine oneself to a single phrase that the end justifies the means, since this information clearly confirms the ability of the Armenian authorities, and indeed of the entire Armenian people, to make a storm in a teacup and seek real monetary compensation "for the shipwreck". After all, it is obvious that Armenia is trying to use the situation on the Lachin road not only as a political tool against Baku but also as another opportunity for its own profit under the pretext of a "blockage".

It is clear that Yerevan, which has lost the opportunity to plunder the natural resources of a foreign country and send weapons for terrorist purposes, promotes false narratives related to the Lachin road, where the peaceful environmental action of the Azerbaijani public, mainly young people, continues. And this is a powerful blow to Armenian interests - both military, political and financial.

Accordingly, there is no doubt that the Armenians will continue to be hysterical in order to attract not only the attention of the international community but also financial resources. And it is most likely that the efforts of the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC UK) played a significant role in providing money to the "blockage-affected Armenians" through the British Start Fund. The very committee stands for "recognition of the right to self-determination", and in November 2020 made a lot of efforts to push this idea to the House of Lords of Great Britain. It is no coincidence that it was then that a cross-party group of members of the House of Lords, through The Times newspaper, announced the need to "respect the vital right of the people to self-determination".

There is no doubt about the ANC UK's significant role in advocating for Armenian interests in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. A bill on "recognition of the Armenian Genocide" was debated within the walls of this British body in December 2021.

Meanwhile, representatives of any international organisation concerned about the fate of the "120,000 Armenians of Karabakh" are welcome to visit the site of Azerbaijani eco-activists' protest and witness firsthand the actual state of affairs. Furthermore, Baku makes no impediments to this. It is clear that no one will forbid representatives of the British Start Fund or other funds from doing anything. However, Armenia is likely to escalate the situation and beg for money from Western investors, posing as a victim in the hope of receiving tolerable handouts.

On the other hand, this practice is not new in Armenia. Following its defeat in the 44-day war of 2020, Armenia knocked on every Western door in a row with an outstretched hand. As a result of this policy, Armenia is expected to receive 33 million euros [$35.9 million]in EU grants this year. This was announced at the end of last year's Armenian government meeting, and grant funds were allocated within the framework of two major projects. It is expected that 10 million euros [$10.8 million] of this amount will be used to establish the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Migration Policy, while the remaining 23 million euros [$25 million] will be used to ensure the country's long-term socioeconomic recovery and development.

Curiously, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), whose main task is to lobby for Armenian interests in the United States, expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that, according to the White House administration's draft budget for 2023, assistance to Armenia will amount to only $ 24 million, whereas President Biden signed the same document in the amount of $45 million in 2022.

The Armenians were upset because the new document did not include funds "to support Karabakh". In this regard, the Armenian National Committee of America urged the White House and Congress to at least double Armenia's aid, bringing it to $50 million, and to provide an additional $50 million for the "unfortunate" Armenians of Karabakh who fled due to the war with Azerbaijan. That is, Armenia takes advantage of every opportunity to seek Western investment, portraying itself as a victim of "Azerbaijani aggression" and misleading the international community.

I must admit that such an "outstretched hand" policy does produce results on occasion. Thus, in 2021 the European Union promised to allocate more than 1.5 billion euros to Armenia for development over the next five years. Although it is clear that the West and the United States are primarily driving all external financial injections, Armenia is being used as a bargaining chip by them. The arrival of a long-term EU mission in the country in the near future is proof of this. Of course, this is significant for modern Armenia ready for anything, just to get an extra million. However, there is one more strange nuance.

In parallel, a plan to appeal to the UN is being hatched in Yerevan. On January 31, an Armenian representative on international legal issues stated that the UN is "the last instance for the Armenians of Karabakh" at a meeting of the International Court of Justice. As it turned out, Armenia seriously hoped that the issue of the "blockage of the Lachin road" would be resolved in the UN Security Council, whose meeting was held on December 20, 2022, but they miscalculated: the Security Council did not meet Yerevan's expectations of condemning Baku.

The paradox, however, is that Yerevan hopes very much for the UN court as the last instance of the Karabakh Armenians, despite the fact that it was Armenia that shamelessly ignored the calls of the Security Council during its almost 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani territories. Here is a boomerang in Armenian…

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