Pashinyan’s public relations fiasco Reflections of discontent

The Telegram channel "Baghramyan 26," close to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, perhaps unwittingly, showcased a striking similarity in worldview with the main character of the old Soviet comedy film Carnival Night, the acting director of the House of Culture, Comrade Ogurtsov. Both the cinematic Ogurtsov and the anonymous, yet real, author of the text on the Armenian Telegram channel loved to write complaints.

"I bring this to your attention and request that appropriate measures be taken against the aforementioned comrades, who naively believe they have found a fool in me," wrote Comrade Ogurtsov in a statement to the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. A similar outpouring of dissatisfaction came from a pro-government Armenian news outlet. Oh, what a striking example of discontent with one’s own reflection in the mirror!

"Kremlin journalists and press secretary Peskov must explain why photographs were deliberately published from two extremely indecent angles. What were they thinking when they created or released these images?" laments the information service of the Armenian Prime Minister. In the spirit of letters from the "indignant Soviet public protesting the actions of the global elites," this is how Nikol Pashinyan's spokesperson expresses discontent. Just as easily as trousers transform into elegant shorts in the film "The Diamond Arm," the character of Vovayevich in Armenia seamlessly becomes Vladimirovich in Russia. To fully convey the dissatisfaction of the gentlemen and ladies from "Baghramyan 26," all that was missing was a line stating that the creators of these photos "naively believe they have found a fool in the Prime Minister of Armenia."

It’s surprising how the photos featuring Nikol Vovaevich (Vladimirovich) are being assessed. In one image, he stands in front of the Azerbaijani flag, resembling the heroine from the song "Moscow Nights," who "glances sideways with her head bowed low." In another photo, Pashinyan is captured in the same pose, but this time standing before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

So, what is the fault of the Kremlin journalists or the Russian president's press secretary? The photos are real; no editing was involved. Pashinyan himself adopted those poses. No one has portrayed him in a worse light than he is in reality. As the first President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk used to say in such situations, "We have what we have." After all, Pashinyan wasn’t photographed in an Adam's suit!

However, the Armenian mouthpiece continued to express such personal disdain for the reflection of its prime minister that it claimed, "he can't even eat." "Perhaps they think that this kind of low-quality work will help mask existing gaps in their other activities and the ongoing disagreements. In such cases, it is essential to maintain a high standard and not stoop to the level of tabloids, as the effects of all this will be forgotten by the next day, but the unpleasant residue, as they say, will linger," laments "Baghramyan 26."

It seems there was an attempt to reference the joke about the spoons being found. However, in that joke, the "unpleasant residue" remained with those who unjustly accused the guests of "losing" the spoons after their arrival! Instead of coming across as ironic, it turned into a spit in the wind. The result is clear on the faces of those who crafted the strange text published by the mouthpiece of Armenian propaganda, which only really amused anyone with its misguided attempts to lecture others.

Just like in this joke, instead of irony, we see a lack of genuine acknowledgement. The phrase "low-quality work" refers to the same Pashinyan outlet struggling to generate enthusiasm among readers about yet another bike ride by Nikol Vovayevich (Vladimirovich), this time through Moscow. I could be mistaken, but he wasn’t entrusted with power in the country just to pedal around wherever he pleases. As for the "indecent angles," it remains unclear in what position and where Pashinyan signed the Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020.

He did not dare to appear on screen at the moment which can only be described as the acknowledgement of Armenia's capitulation in the 44-day war. At that time, he essentially went into hiding to avoid the wrath of an angry crowd. The "scapegoat" became Ararat Mirzoyan, who received far more ire from his fellow citizens than Kisa Vorobyaninov did from Ostap Bender. Once again, we see the inappropriateness of the media outlet's claims, which has become accustomed to whitewashing Pashinyan. In trying to defend his primary employer, he ultimately portrayed both himself and Pashinyan in an absurd light.

Moreover, this resemblance is not just to Comrade Ogurtsov, who sought to blame others for being seen as a fool. One cannot help but notice the striking similarity to the “great combinator” Ostap Bender's visit to the editorial office of the newspaper "Stanok," demanding a retraction after an article stated that he had been KNOCKED DOWN BY A HORSE and had only come away with a fright. Bender claimed he had been publicly humiliated while scanning the room for a coveted chair. The true motive behind the Telegram channel "Baghramyan 26," which also cries out that Pashinyan has been humiliated in front of the world, remains unclear. However, it is evident that their response will likely be the same as what Ostap Ibrahimovich heard from the editor of "Stanok": “But I assure you, no one has disgraced you, and we would not dream of making redress for such a trifling matter.”

The article was originally written in Russian