ArmInfo. Armenia is trying to come to its senses after the abrupt changes in 2018 and build a certain scheme, in line with which it will move on. Director of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said this at a meeting with reporters on December 26.
Commenting on the selection of the top 10 events remembered in 2019, the expert noted that the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia that "Artsakh is Armenia and that's final" is not being spoken for the first time in history. <Considering how Pashinyan came to power, he had to speak harshly and make nods in the right direction, and at the same time make statements that show that Armenia is still with Artsakh, and everything remains in place in the field of approval of theses>, he said.
Iskandaryan mentioned the resignations in the power structures, in particular the head of the NSS and the head of the Police, as a manifestation of the effect that was bound to happen and a split inside these people was inevitable, since "the revolution always devours its children".
<The fellow travelers who came around Pashinyan are diverse people, among them there are professionals who, by the fact of their biography, cannot behave like ordinary people. Therefore, contradictions arise, which result in the replacement of these people. While all this is just berries, we will observe serious contradictions further>, the political analyst predicts, noting that cadres in key structures cannot appear in one day, and it takes time to stabilize the crisis with the elites.
Iskandaryan attributed the charge against Serzh Sargsyan and others to the fact that they are representatives of the past power, noting that the revolutionaries who came to power "cut off" the political heads of the former.
The adoption by the Senate and the US House of Representatives of resolutions on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the expert considers an achievement to which Armenia has nothing to do. This, in his opinion, is the merit of the Armenians - US citizens who elect and listen to them.
Iskandaryan believes that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in this format is more related to the US-Turkish relations, and the specific situation that developed during the vote.
Speaking about the crisis that has arisen around the Constitutional Court, the political scientist noted that the figure of the judges of the Constitutional Court in particular, in all the constitutions of the world, was intentionally built so that it was almost impossible to dismiss them, noting that this stems from the logic of the political system.
<When a revolution occurs, influence on the elite begins, and in the Constitutional Court it is especially difficult to do. The desires of the conflicting parties are clear, and the state's tools are usually serious>, he explained, noting that pressure on the Constitutional Court will continue.
Speaking about the results of the Armenian chairmanship in the EAEU, Iskandaryan described 2019 as a year of stomping on the spot, not referring specifically to Armenia, but to the structure itself. He believes that the Eurasian Union is in the process of grinding in, getting used to, so that the leaders of the countries learn to interact with each other, noting that any union is a space not only for cooperation, but also for contradictions.
<2019 for the EAEU was a year of some types of rivalry between countries, "bargaining" of some kind of preferences, and this process will continue>, he said.
Touching upon the Karabakh settlement, Iskandaryan called this year convex from the point of view of negotiations, noting that the meeting in Bratislava showed the real situation in the framework of the conflict, in particular, the meeting of the heads of countries showed that there is no solution to the Karabakh conflict, there is stagnation and due to the lack of real subject to negotiation substantive negotiations are not conducted.
Iskandaryan believes that such a format of negotiations is not an attempt to resolve the conflict, but an attempt to learn how to live in a conflict: to shoot less, reduce the risks of serious escalations, and not leave the negotiation process so that the format continues.
The expert considers the visits of journalists to Baku and Yerevan to be an unprecedented event, explaining that this shows, on the one hand, that the parties do not see a solution to the conflict, and on the other, that there is a process that can mitigate the risks of tension and that the status quo will continue to work.
Speaking about the ongoing protest moods on various issues, he said that people had expectations that were utter and impossible, but the revolutionaries only worked on negative theses. The removal of Serzh Sargsyan did not solve the problems. Against this background, confidence in the leadership is falling; there are reasons for protests. "If there is a request for protest, every occasion becomes another pretext for this political protest to manifest itself and the protest ground to expand," he added. Speaking about the parliamentary form of government, the political scientist believes that the construction of institutionalization schemes, the development of systematic plans, as well as party building is not observed in Armenia. <It is possible to drive out each individual official, but you cannot liquidate the system, there are no resources for this, the authorities see that a lot is not working out. It's not about people, but about systems, projects, and fighting people is completely useless. In a parliamentary country, the supporting structure of the political system are political parties, parliaments do not work if there are no political parties, "he said, noting that the ruling bloc" My Step "is not a political party.