This week, let’s go for some schadenfreude shall we? It’s getting close to five years since this kind of “fun” was so broadly available that I could write a piece, and this time, all the raw material is provided by Turks.
Azeri oil money has been flowing into the coffers of highly paid lobbyist hacks. What’s juicy about that is…they don’t have much to show for it, particularly on a “new” front they’ve opened. Much Azeri effort has been expended on trying to pass resolutions in state legislatures. Other than a success in New Mexico, they’ve met largely with failure. There are two states, Louisiana and Mississippi, with “split personalities.” In the former, both pro-Azeri and pro-Armenian resolutions were passed. In the latter, the two houses of the legislature voted in opposite directions. We’ve stopped their lies in at least half-a-dozen states. And, somewhat as a reaction, California’s legislature (along with some smaller jurisdictions) has passed a resolution recognizing Artsakh’s independence! SMIRK.
No doubt you heard about the lambasting Ilham Aliyev received from British Member of Parliament (MP) Paul Flynn. Flynn put a tough question to Aliyev, who was speaking at a Council of Europe (CoE) meeting. He was there because it is Azerbaijan’s turn as president of that body. Human rights organizations have said that Azerbaijan is not qualified to hold the position because it so flagrantly violates the high standards of the CoE. But this bitter pill became a little easier to swallow when Aliyev’s huge ego led him to lose his temper in response to a question from the MP. Instead of being able to bask in the glow of his undeserved position, Aliyev ended up showing the world that he was a “braggart and a bully,” in Flynn’s words. SMIRK.
Since the “hero” of Baku, “President” Aliyev, and his criminal cronies continue their bellicose, chest-thumping threats against Armenia and Artzakh, it is delicious irony that three positions adopted by the OSCE summit—held in Baku—can be described as beneficial to Armenian concerns. The first reconfirmed the right of people to self-determination. The second spoke to the needs of Christians in Syria. The third faulted member states that allowed militants to cross their borders into Syria (I can’t think of any state other than Turkey that fits this bill, can you?). SMIRK.
Ill-spent money, legislative setbacks, baseless bravado… Perfect for a transition to Turkey’s displeasure. Imagine how irritated Ankara must be to blast the U.S. because the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee passed a strong measure urging Turkey to return stolen church properties to their rightful owners. Now, couple that with the fact that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed an Armenian Genocide resolution three months ago. SMIRK.
Perhaps the saddest bit of blowback for Turkey comes from its support of extremist Islamists. Ankara allowed those murderous crazies to use Turkey as a jumping-off point and haven for their destabilization of Syria. This led not only to many Armenian deaths (mostly in Aleppo) and the temporary exodus from Kessab, but to millions of Syrian refugees and tens of thousands dead. It’s too bad innocent civilians are paying the price for Davutoglu’s foreign policy machinations. Now, the same extremist group, known as ISIS, has managed to make significant progress in Iraq, and along the way taken the Turkish Consul General in Mosul and more than 80 other Turks hostage. SMIRK.
Misery afflicts those who cause it to others.
Garen Yegparian
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While it may be true that a lot of Azeri propaganda has failed, the fact is that we Armenians have not been able to convince the world that Artsakh should be independent.
There is a general perception, I think, that Armenians have done wrong to Azeris and occupied Azeri lands. Even Armenia’s “ally”, Russia, does not side with Armenians on this issue.
This is all a real failure by us Armenians. This failure goes back more than 20 years. I wish I did not have to say this. The Diaspora is ready to help, but Armenia and Artsakh do not want our help.
Vahe, I think you are overestimating the amount of “convincing” that actually occurs. The “world” (by which you mean the West) sides with Azerbaijan because of Azerbaijan’s oil. It is not because of the diplomatic efforts of Azerbaijan or of Armenia.
Alex, I agree with you that the West and NATO (and much of the mainstream media therein) favor Azerbaijan due to its oil and gas and being on the pan-Turkic path to Central Asia.
But if that were enough, why would Azerbaijan bother to pump out so much anti-Armenian propaganda? Because it knows that public perception counts for something.
Plus, I do not see a lot of sympathy for Artsakh outside of the West, so it’s not just a matter of how the West perceives the Caucasus.
The fact is that creating a perception of the rightness of Artsakh’s cause may be able to shift things enough to make a difference. We need to do everything we can. Unfortunately, Armenia is not good at public relations and will not cooperate sufficiently with the Diaspora, which has more experience with the media.