Off-scale hypocrisy of Menendez Yerevan that bypasses sanctions is beyond criticism

US Senator Robert Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has shown how cynicism and hypocrisy can be outrageous. This person involved in corruption scandals sent a letter to the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Zhaparov, in which he accused him of assisting Russia in circumventing Western sanctions imposed on it for invading Ukraine.

Menendez stressed that he was forced to send such a message, as many countries began to move more and more away from democratic principles, in connection with which he calls on Sadyr Japarov to take steps to change the wrong course.

"Since the outset of the war, Kyrgyzstan has dramatically expanded its import-export business with Russia," the US senator argues in his claims against this Central Asian country. But that is not all.

It turns out that the senator fears that "Kyrgyzstan's failure to support international sanctions on Russia is only a symptom of ongoing democratic backlash and widespread human rights violations". Wow, how it is! That is, of course, Menendez is very, very concerned about Russia's evasion of Western sanctions, but somehow, he considers this issue too narrowly, choosing only some states as the subject of criticism and, apparently, trying not to offend others with his suspicions.

But this topic, in our opinion, should be approached wider and deeper. And then, if we discard the slyness and double standards, we can be sure that it is necessary to ask about the issues raised, first of all, with Armenia, which Menendez is so guardian of. And not just to ask, but to press her against the wall with the same indignation and determination that Menendez's message to the president of Kyrgyzstan is imbued with.

Let me give you just a few facts. First, it should be noted that last year's report, prepared by the independent group Conflict Armament Research, states that Armenia imported 515 per cent more chips and processors from the US and 212 per cent more from the EU in 2022 than in 2021. Then this most backward country in the South Caucasus exported 97 percent of these products to Russia. Menendez is not familiar with this report? Okay, let's present other data.

An article by the German Spiegel points out that Armenia quadrupled its exports to Russia in two years, to about $2.5 billion. In addition, it has recently been exporting high-tech and industrial goods of all kinds to Russia. In particular, last year it supplied Russian customers with electronic equipment worth $460 million. Machinery sales rose from $14 million to $158 million. And this despite the fact that the country does not have its own high-tech production.

Spiegel cites all these calculations not out of the blue, but based, for example, on the fact that in December last year, the export earnings of German companies from Armenian business were 287% higher than the average for 2018-2020. This is also for the attention of Menendez, if he has not come across these figures and facts so far. Which, however, is unlikely.

The senator should also think about the information provided by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which said that for some reason, Armenia is not afraid to ship American cars to Russia in circumvention of the sanctions. “A multi-kilometer caravan of trailers loaded with used cars meanders along a dusty road leading to a customs terminal in the Armenian city of Gyumri,” writes the French edition.

The secret of the Armenian dealers is given out by AFP itself: although the US and the EU have banned the export of vehicles to Russia, the cars can still be cleared through Armenia. The material details a long-established scheme: used, damaged or cheap cars are purchased at online auctions in the United States, then they are transported by sea to the Georgian port of Poti, repaired, transported to Armenia for customs clearance, and then delivered by land through Georgia to Russia.

What, is this unknown to Senator Menendez?! How can he, poor fellow, with such weak eyesight and bad hearing, sit in the Senate, and even approve the laws? Didn't he really know that the official representative of the European Union's Foreign Service, Peter Stano, had already said that the EU was studying the issue of deliveries of sanctioned goods from Armenia to Russia. “In the context of Armenia, we have indeed seen some anomalous trade flows. We are considering this issue and are conducting a dialogue with the Armenian authorities,” he stressed.

It is worth reminding Menendez that the European Council at the end of June approved the 11th package of economic and individual restrictive measures aimed at strengthening existing sanctions and preventing their circumvention. In this package, the EU included, as a deterrent measure, an extension of the ban on the export of goods to third countries through which goods subject to sanctions enter Russia. This allows, in particular, to ban the export of dual-use products and certain goods related to the defense industry.

What do you think? Among the 87 enterprises that provide direct support to the Russian military-industrial complex, there are also Armenian ones!

Finally, I will add that in March the US Departments of Justice and Commerce, as well as the Treasury, stated in a joint report that Armenia was among the countries used as transshipment points to Russia. Moreover, Washington has already included a number of Armenian companies in the sanctions list. It was expected. After all, the coordinator for sanctions at the US State Department, Jim O'Brien, as Politico wrote, openly stated that Russia managed to restore the volume of imports of key electronic components despite the sanctions. And among the countries that helped her to do this is Armenia!

Bingo! It would seem that Senator Menendez should throw thunder and lightning and scribble angry letters to the leadership of Armenia. Moreover, last year the president of this country, Vahagn Khachaturyan, said that Russia would “withstand the sanctions” and promised to establish closer economic ties with Moscow. Well, why are we sitting, who are we waiting for, Mr. Menendez?

But the fact of the matter is that he cannot blurt out something against Armenia, which Moscow still considers to be its outpost in the Caucasus. Menendez, point-blank, does not see a huge number of facts testifying to the active Armenian assistance to Russia in circumventing Western sanctions. This is the off-scale cynicism and the notorious double standards in their original form.

I'll say more. This same Menendez, a long-time Armenian lobbyist married to an ethnic Armenian, recently presented a draft legislative amendment to hold Azerbaijan accountable “for aggression and alleged war crimes against Armenians of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as to stop the export of military equipment to Baku.”

And this is despite the fact that Azerbaijan openly supports Ukraine through political and diplomatic means, allocating more and more humanitarian aid to it. The other day, Azerbaijani ambassador to Ukraine Seymur Mardaliyev announced four areas of cooperation in which Baku is ready to help Kyiv, including the medical and psychological rehabilitation of Ukrainian children affected by the Russian invasion, the rehabilitation of military personnel, assistance in the energy sector and the post-war reconstruction of the country. But Menendez will of course never notice or take heed of it. And the attitude towards this example of political immorality, cynicism and double standards is appropriate.

By Akper Hasanov