Hayk Babukhanyan: “Everything that occurs in Armenia is connected with geopolitics!”

The chairman of the party the Constitutional Rights Union, the deputy of National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hayk Borisovich Babukhanyan is the known personality in the political world of Armenia. He was the member of the parliamentary commission on development of the declaration on independence of Armenia and the commission on development of the new constitution. Repeatedly he won the elections in the Yerevan city council and in National assembly.

Besides, Hayk Babukhanyan was the national expert of the UN, headed the journalism department at the Russian-Armenian University for many years, he is the full member of the International academy of social and natural sciences and the Academy of spiritual unity of people of the world, the International academy of Sciences “Ararat” and the European academy of natural sciences.

Our conversation is how the political situation in the republic is influenced by geopolitics.

- Hayk Borisovich, tell, please, about the party which you lead.

- Our party was created at the time of the Soviet Union. We resisted both to communists and the Armenian national movement. Our deputies were in the National Assembly and in city councils of Yerevan and other cities. People know us as we counteracted the ultra liberals who came to the power at Levon Ter-Petrosyan time. We created the country's first independent newspaper “IRAVUNK (Law)” and it remains to the most popular in the country to this day. They tried to take it away, forbid it, but it came to nothing!

On the last elections we supported Serge Sargsyan when got to know that Ter-Petrosyan again wants to come to the power with the gang of liberals who are the westernized puppets.

- The former president tries to return for the first roles in policy. Why?

- All that occurs in Armenia is anyway connected with a geopolitical situation. Though Armenia is the small country, but it is in such place where geopolitical interests of many powers are crossed. Therefore if something suddenly occurs in internal political life, the threads should be looked for in the West! Because there is Nagorno-Karabakh, there is the Armenian-Iranian border around Megri. It is the small territory, but very important – it stops the Turkish expansion up to China.

Look how everything develops in neo-Osmanizm advance: one petal of expansion is to Russia, another – to the Crimea, one more – to Bulgaria, further the Arab countries and so on … Armenia doesn't allow by the territory to be developed to several petals of the Turkish expansion at once!

- The splinter turns out.

- We use other expression: “the Armenian wedge”. This wedge doesn't allow the Turkish expansion to develop. And, therefore, we have many things for one simple reason: the USA should squeeze the pro-Russian forces out from Armenia.

- Is it possible?

- And why not, after all they squeezed out from Georgia, from Azerbaijan, etc.? !

- They speak and write much that Armenia is the strategic ally and the friend of Russia. And here any imagination isn't necessary, it is simple the fact ascertaining.

- Everything is good, but it is necessary to understand that America, NATO and Turkey don’t play toys here. I will repeat: the Americans have a main goal – to squeeze out Russia from Armenia. It means that Russia will be squeezed out from Transcaucasia and then will lose the Caucasus absolutely. Well and further the route is known: Central Asia, Volga region... It is the most convenient scenario for them: they consider that crushing of Russia has to go such way. And the ultimate goal is clear too: Russia needs to be shattered into some small states which won't influence the world geopolitics any more – many passionately dream of it the West.

There is no something new here! The West always did it: both in 1917th and in 1991st … They act in the same spirit now. Perhaps, the centrifugal forces now aren't so active as in 1991, but, you know, the historical cataclysms happen constantly after all. If a situation will be restless, they will start showing the activity again.

- Does the USA stake on any country specifically in the Caucasus?

- For them it is important to force out Russia from Armenia and then everything will be easy. If Armenia becomes the territory which is under control of the Americans and Turks, so the Turkish expansion will go to Central Asia through Azerbaijan and through Georgia and the same Azerbaijan will go into the North Caucasus without any obstacles, will strike blow to Iran.

- Quite recently Armenia and Turkey had a period of “football diplomacy”. It was told much, but the results were very modest.

- Besides, that our president went to a football match of the national teams to Turkey, and their president came to us, there wasn’t something else! All the rest is only the conversations. It was necessary for Turkey as it wants to remain sitting on two chairs at the same time: all-European and pan-Turkist. Conversations of the Turks on aspiration to united Europe and acceptance of the all-European values are only the conversations. But even in such way they caught themselves in a trap. And now simply got down from the European chair and strongly took seat on the pan-Turkist –neo-Ottoman chair.

- It seems that the prime minister of Turkey Erdogan already sees himself as the hegemon in very extensive region.

- Yes, they see themselves as the hegemon in the territory of the former Ottoman Empire. But I want to add one important detail to this characteristic: Turkey is an operator of NATO in the Big Middle East. Look how Turkey influenced the events in Egypt. They not simply moved away the competitor the tourism sphere, but also brought the Islamists to power. Usually the Arab ethnos is adjusted anti-Turkish, but on a today's wave they already think of the union, of the support in the Arab world. Turkey acted in Libya too and does it simply impudently in Syria. Look at Georgia: very strong Turkish influence is felt in Adzharia.

- Do you mean the business?

- At first there are businessmen, but then there are politicians. And today it is a big question: whose influence is stronger in Adzharia? Who influences the events more?

- What are the relations of Armenia with the neighbour Georgia?

- For us the main thing that Georgia was the predictable country and wasn't under full dictatorship of the Americans and Turks, that it pursued the adequate policy in relation to our main ally – Russia. For us it is very important that the problems which are in the relations of Russia and Georgia would be resolved sooner. I think that in principle Armenia could become even the intermediary in this question.

We have traditionally good-neighbourhood with Georgia. Though, there are also questions. For example, high tariffs for rail transportation cause bewilderment in us; there are the church questions … Some politicians make strange statements and it happens. There are questions with the Armenian schools and textbooks in Javakhk. There are any restrictions, which causes our bewilderment. After all Armenia never called the territorial integrity of Georgia in question, didn't demand the revision of borders.

- They discuss how the opening of railway communication through Abkhazia positively would affect the economy of Armenia.

- This subject, of course, interests us very much. But how this question brought up, so it, seemingly, it was stopped. Turkey and Azerbaijan put the ultimatum and a subject ceased to be actual. I.e. Georgia already is in such dependence on them that can't pursue own policy even at home.

- Armenia has very important border for it with Iran, but the international sanctions are established concerning the last one. Do they influence the economy of Armenia?

- They, certainly, beat us. But here the matter is not only in economy – it is necessary to speak about geopolitics first of all. The Armenian-Turkish border is, in fact, not only the border between Armenia and Turkey, but also between NATO and CSTO. And it is not simply the border, but the southwest boundaries of CSTO! What does it turn out? If NATO closes the borders before us and at the same time influences Iran that indirectly beats on our economy and it means that this block behaves hostilely in relation to Armenia. It is necessary to answer such questions without fail!

-Any political forces in Armenia which support NATO?

- Certainly, we have also the westernized forces. They are presented in parliament: the Armenian National Congress fraction created by Ter-Petrosyan has 7 mandates and Naslediye fraction - 5 mandates. Plus to that the dashnaks traditionally look to the west to some extent: “Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun” fraction has 5 places too.

Moreover, there is a question to the second-large fraction – “Prospering Armenia” has 37 mandates. Thus the party leader Gagik Tsarukyan declares the pro-Russian position and number two in party Vardan Oskanyan, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, doesn't hide that he is financed by the West. We simply call him as the resident of NATO. Besides this fraction didn't take part in vote concerning ratification of the last agreements on CSTO …

So if Russia thinks that here everything is silent and smooth, it is the illusion. Actually we deal with the major geopolitical knot in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Megri for which there is very rigid, even fierce fight. It is reflected on an internal political situation. I advise to our friends in Russia not to be carelessly quiet and to think how to develop the Armenian-Russian relations, how to deepen them, how to strengthen each other. We are the allies and have to support each other!

- In this sense the presidential election which will pass in February are very important?

- Undoubtedly! One option if our present head of the country Serzh Sargsyan is chosen again. His election means absolutely predicted policy, development of the strategic relations with Russia and active cooperation in the sphere of CSTO.

And other way waits if the protege of the West wins. Let's say the same Oskanyan who already declared the readiness to stand. Or, for example, the chairman of the party “Naslediye” Raffi Ovanesyan or Levon Ter-Petrosyan …It is expected that he will declare the readiness to be overcome for a post of the president too.

Persons aren’t so important; the essence is that all of them support absolutely other political course. Liquidation of the Russian military base in Armenia, concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh, transition to NATO course …

- And what is the position of your party on presidential election?

- Our party will support the incumbent president Serge Sargsyan. Here we can have no disagreements! Certainly, we already discussed a situation. And officially we will express position at the meeting of Board of Representatives of party at the end of the current year. Also we will develop the tactics of successful support of our candidate.

- They say that the fight for the presidency can join the person who already occupied it – Robert Kocharyan.

- I think that it is improbable. Kocharyan won't go there where he is waited obviously by loss. And that the situation looks exactly so, he perfectly understands. If the oppositionists try to create the united block, to gather all the supporters under the banners or at least to keep afloat, so the incumbent president accumulates electorate which supports the power and stable development. On whom Kocharyan should rely in that situation?! So hardly the former president will risk to go openly on elections. Another thing is that he will have shadow impact on process.

- You drew not the simplest picture. Therefore, I want to ask a direct question: what can or should do Russia in that situation?

- It would be very joyful for all of us if Russia could solve the economic and social problems. We are disturbed when we see how it is possible to bring a certain number of people to the street by means of certain manipulations. We perfectly understand who, how and why it does. I communicate with the Russian colleagues from scientific, political, journalistic community and I feel some intensity. It disturbs us!

The history shows that when Russia is rolled away from the positions, there is nothing good - neither for it, nor for us. And we shouldn't allow it today together!