A closer look at Armenian society Illusions vs. reality

The socio-political landscape in Armenia remains turbulent. Everything imaginable is being discussed, except for the steps that could genuinely contribute to advancing a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan. However, perhaps this is not surprising; Armenian society operates on a different set of priorities.

For example, Golos Armenii continues to assert that the "Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is far from resolved" and that no matter how fervently official Baku tries to pass off wishful thinking as reality, "it's too early to bury the Minsk Group." This is how Armenian society reassures itself that the "conflict" occurred "between Azerbaijan and Karabakh." Paradoxical as it may seem, nothing changes in the Armenian ideological framework.

Armenians seem to disregard history (whether it’s "real" or "historical," as Nikol Pashinyan puts it), geography, and political science. Nor do they value historical justice. It appears they find it easier to languish in their current state of dependence on everyone and everything, rather than strive to become a genuine subject of global politics.

Hence, the claims about the "Minsk Group being in a coma," with the suggestion that "it is necessary to help it emerge from such a state, get back on its feet, and become active again, because the Karabakh issue has not been resolved in a political-legal sense, nor in historical, humanitarian, or civilizational terms."

And all of this is stated in all seriousness. Yet, if the authors of these pieces tried to honestly answer the question of what exactly the "politico-legal sense" is, would they be able to do so? As for the "civilizational" emphasis, there are no questions here, as the whole world is already aware of the barbaric actions taken by the Armenian "civilized" occupiers in the historically Azerbaijani territories, including Western Azerbaijan, the lands of which are currently part of Armenia.

It would be one thing if this were confined to Golos Armenii. But no, now we have a professor from Yerevan State University, Vardan Voskanian, exclaiming that "the presence of the Baku regime on the occupied parts of Armenia's sovereign territory persists." Perhaps we would not have reacted to such fabrications if the adversary of all things Turkic did not continue in this vein, claiming that "the honor and duty to expel them should lie with us, not with the National Guard of the state of Kansas, the IRGC units, or Chechen units of the Russian army."

Of course, Armenia's armed forces showcased their honor brilliantly during the Second Karabakh War, managing to capture toilets during their disgraceful retreat from the battlefield. The real question is, have Armenian military personnel ever won a single battle in the region without external support? Others have always fought on their behalf. But that aside, sooner or later, as we hope, they will sort it out themselves. However, what should be done with the deeply ingrained aura of revanchism within Armenian society?

Indeed, the fuel for such revanchist sentiments was likely provided by the signing of the Yerevan-Biden Charter. However, as lamentable as this may sound for "Voskanians," some Armenian experts, such as David Harutyunov, acknowledge the lack of anything "breakthrough" in the adopted document, describing its underlying motivation as the standard Washington strategy of "displacing Russia from its respective positions."

As for the clause in the Charter regarding Armenia's joining the "anti-Putin coalition," political scientist Suren Sargsyan urges a sober approach to this provision, noting that Yerevan joined the "U.S.-initiated International Religious Freedom Alliance" back in 2020 but "gave absolutely nothing to this alliance and received nothing in return." "We still cannot capitalize on anything," Sargsyan concluded.

Interestingly, Armenian websites quote Russian experts who openly describe the signing of the Charter as an anti-Kremlin move. In this regard, Russian political analyst Dmitry Trenin warned that "Armenia risks finding itself in a dangerous position, losing the advantages of its alliance with Russia without receiving adequate compensation from the West." Simultaneously, Russian political scientist Sergey Markedonov, noting the "stark opposition" between "former and current Armenian political elites," emphasized their "iron unity" in terms of their adherence to the principle of bandwagoning in foreign policy. "Align with the strong! Yesterday, that was Russia; today, it’s the U.S."

It’s curious, though, whether Prime Minister Pashinyan would take offense at Markedonov’s conclusion, especially considering a recent post he shared on his social media pages, in which he said: "Peace is the ability to live surrounded by neighbors without external support."

In general, in the context of the anti-Russian rhetoric frequently heard from official Yerevan, it is quite interesting to note the information published in Armenian media: in November 2024, around 5,200 real estate transactions were conducted in Armenia, and "among foreigners, the largest group is Russian citizens."

Here’s another rather interesting fact. According to Armenian sources citing data from the World Population Review, at the current historical stage, Armenia ranks 140th in the world in terms of population size among 234 countries (as of October 1, 2024, the country’s permanent population was just over 3 million people). According to forecasts from this organization, the annual population growth rate of Armenia is expected to decline (to 0.47% by 2050).

However, such figures do not seem to concern the revanchists. It appears easier for them to continue living in their own fantasies and indulge in dreams of "milk and honey." Meanwhile, real life goes on elsewhere. To confirm this, we can refer to the statement made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev after his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze: "Our peoples have lived in an atmosphere of friendship, good-neighborliness, and brotherhood for centuries. These traditions continue to thrive today. Today, Georgia-Azerbaijan relations are progressing successfully in all areas. I believe that our political relations can serve as an example for all our neighbors."

The question is, will they become an example for Armenians? Especially considering the initiative presented by Kobakhidze in Baku for trilateral cooperation, which suggests "involving all three countries of the South Caucasus in various areas."

We’ll wait, without further comment.