Russia, Georgia, Iran Armenia`s natural allies - ex-president 

ArmInfo.Today, the most painful problem facing the Armenian people worldwide is division. The first president of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, shares a similar view.

On his Facebook page, the politician writes that Armenia's  independence and the brilliant victory in the First Artsakh War  seemed to have resolved this problem. "However, the humiliating  defeat has confronted us with a new fact of division. If we add to  this the reckless steps of Nikol Pashinyan (the Prime Minister of the  Republic of Armenia - ed.), aimed at deepening the disunity of our  society, we will once again find ourselves buried in the same swamp,"  Ter-Petrosyan noted.

Speaking about the upcoming elections, the first president of the  Republic of Armenia emphasized that Pashinyan's Western masters will  view Samvel Karapetyan's victory as a restoration of Russian  influence in Armenia, which is completely at odds with their  long-term plans. "Therefore, they will do everything they can to  prevent such a development, ignoring the fact that the exclusive  right to choose their own government belongs to the people. It is  necessary to recognize once and for all that Armenia's natural allies  are not distant Western countries (with the exception of France, with  which our humanitarian and cultural ties were established back in the  early 20th century), but Russia, Georgia, and Iran. The deepening of  sincere and warm relations with China and India also inspires  optimism. As Omar Khayyam said, 'It is pleasant to hear the sound of  a drum from afar,'" the politician noted.

He also pointed to the obscene language introduced by the Armenian  Prime Minister. "This is nothing more than a manifestation of  disrespect and an inferiority complex. The strong don't swear; the  strong simply hit.  Neither during Armenia's Soviet years nor during  its independence did sexual obscenities ever exist in public speech.  This is a shameful innovation by Pashinyan and his team, which brings  no honor to our traditionalist nation and brings no honor to it,"  Ter-Petrosyan said.

He also touched on the attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church and  the rights of the Apostolic Church.  According to the first  president, according to the Constitution and laws, the Apostolic  Church certainly has rights, and from a civilizational perspective,  this is the greatest achievement in regulating relations between the  state and the church, which crystallized during the formation of  secular states. In that case, Ter- Petrosyan continued, how is it  that the judiciary is prosecuting dozens of clergymen on the orders  of a dictator? "Don't they understand that after the change of power,  they'll end up in prison?" the politician asked.

He also touched on the topic of criticism. "When people ask me how I  feel about criticism, I answer calmly.  If a politician doesn't  receive blows, he's not a politician. There has never been, and never  will be, a politician who hasn't been criticized. Criticism is one of  the important and necessary stimuli that tempers a politician. Those  who fear criticism have no right to engage in politics. Politics is  the art of sobriety and paving the way with persuasive words. As I  said in one of my first interviews: 'Those who enter politics must be  prepared to hear both blessings and curses.' "Anyone who undertakes  to serve the nation has no right to expect rewards from the nation or  to rebel against it." A few words about so-called self-criticism: I  don't know anyone who criticizes themselves. Even those who suffer  from masochism don't resort to such a step," the former president of  the Republic of Armenia concluded.