Pashinyan Doubles Down On His Suicidal Tilt Toward Increasingly Impotent West

Click to see the full-size image

Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

As the disastrous exodus of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh (known as Artsakh to indigenous Armenians) is in its last phases, the Sorosite Nikol Pashinyan seems more determined than ever to ensure the same fate for Armenia proper. His tilt toward France is a futile attempt to get at least one Western power interested enough to get involved on the side of Armenia, or at least that’s what it seems like on the outside.

However, the harsh reality is that Pashinyan has managed to make Yerevan more isolated than ever before, a fact that’s being used to the maximum by its Neo-Ottomanist neighbors, determined to complete their unrepentant genocidal campaign against native Armenians. This burning hatred should have made the Armenian people much more geopolitically cautious and wiser in their foreign policy choices, but alas, they got Nikol Pashinyan.

As the Sorosite Prime Minister is determined to keep his grip on power, with the political West backing the “democratic choice of Armenians” by helping suppress their widespread revolt against Pashinyan, it ensures that the South Caucasus remains as volatile as ever. The belligerent power pole still hopes to get Russia into a confrontation with not only Turkey and Azerbaijan, but also Armenia itself, particularly by pushing Yerevan into a stance similar to one Georgia had during Saakashvili’s reign in 2008. On October 3, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Armenia and pledged that Paris would “support” the South Caucasus country through weapons shipments. Too little, too late, one would argue. However, as long as France can make some money for its Military Industrial Complex, it’s “perfectly fine”. The continued suffering of Armenians is secondary, it would seem.

According to Euronews, Colonna stated that “Armenia needs to be able to defend itself”, although it’s highly questionable how much France cares, given that the fledgling economy of the South Caucasus country will hardly ever be able to afford French or any other Western arms shipments, especially not enough of such weapons to match Azerbaijan, to say nothing of the neighboring Turkey. There’s simply no viable way for Yerevan to outgun either of its aggressive Turkic neighbors, particularly as the oil-rich Baku has not only a much stronger economy, but also a larger population. In addition, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy framework has been a lot better, with the Aliyev clan in power choosing wisely and making sure not to antagonize Russia while securing further support from its backers (primarily Turkey). Baku keeps using the unfolding global conundrum to achieve its goals.

Meanwhile, Pashinyan is determined to make Yerevan’s increasingly precarious strategic position far worse than it already is. Expectedly, the Euronews report is parroting Pashinyan’s talking points and trying to shift blame for Armenia’s troubles on Moscow, claiming that “Azerbaijani forces invaded Nagorno-Karabakh despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers”. The report also pointed out Colonna’s visit to Armenian refugees from Artsakh, including those wounded in the latest Azeri attacks on fleeing civilians. She once again pledged “support”. It can be argued that this is a mockery of the unfortunate people of Artsakh whose fate was determined precisely by the Western-backed Sorosites in power. The Pashinyan-led government was the one that decided not to move a muscle as Artsakh was being attacked, stubbornly refusing to take any responsibility.

“I would like to publicly state that France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia which will allow the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that it can ensure its defense. You’ll understand that I can’t go into more detail at the moment,” Colonna said during the visit.

However, while Colonna’s claims make it seem “classified”, further giving many Armenians false hope that they may get some groundbreaking weapons that will prevent further Turko-Azeri aggression, this is foolhardy at best. Namely, in early July, several sources revealed that France would deliver armored vehicles and short-range SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems to Armenia. There was no mention of any drone acquisitions, although unmanned systems proved to be the main decisive factor during the 2020 Azeri invasion of Artsakh. Precisely Russia is one of the world’s leaders in this regard, as evidenced by the superb performance of its drones in Ukraine. Why hasn’t Pashinyan approached Moscow to procure thousands of strike/kamikaze drones that could provide a significant asymmetric advantage over the more numerous and heavily armed Azeri forces?

However, Pashinyan is determined to squander Armenia’s modest resources on expensive French weapons that are now burning across the endless steppes of Ukraine, along with countless other Western tanks and armored vehicles, many destroyed precisely by the aforementioned Russian drones that are much more affordable for Yerevan. The only other power in the region that has such technologies is Iran. However, Pashinyan’s suicidal subservience to the political West is also antagonizing Tehran, making it impossible for Armenia to rely on any support from the south. It should be noted that only a few years ago (before Soros-backed Pashinyan appeared), Yerevan had the support of both Russia and Iran, ensuring a stable balance of power that made the very existence of Artsakh possible and sustainable. The same could be said of Armenia itself.

However, with a pro-Western government in power, this stable geopolitical reality for Armenia is now lost and the consequences have been an unmitigated disaster, particularly for the unfortunate people of Artsakh. In just two weeks, over 100,000 Armenians were forced to flee their multi-millennial native lands, leaving most of their belongings and magnificent civilizational heritage at the mercy of Azeri invaders. Having so many refugees that will need long-term accommodation until a more suitable solution for their resettlement is found will bring additional pressure on Yerevan’s modest financial and economic resources. Once again, buying expensive French (or other Western) weapons of highly questionable military value and efficiency in such a detrimental situation while antagonizing its only (former) allies in the volatile region is now putting Armenia itself in danger.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Is Pashinyan The New Saakashvili?
• Pashinyan Attempts To Blame Russia For The Situation He Helped Create In Nagorno-Karabakh
• How Pashinyan Betrayed Armenia For A US Pat On The Back And A Snoop Dogg Concert