YEREVAN/Armenia, APRIL 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — It was a mild Saturday evening in mid-March in a French café in central Yerevan. A group of young friends, well young-ish, had sat down to discuss the biggest news topic of the week — the revolution in Ukraine.

“We should take lessons from the young Ukrainians who are fighting for their independence, for democracy, for human rights,” said Ani Kirakosyan, a 30-year-old human rights defender.

Jazz music floated across the room.

This sort of political conversation in Armenia is important. Last year, at the same time as Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovich chose to side with Russia over the European Union, Armenia’s leadership was doing the same. Since then Armenia, which hosts a large Russian military base, has supported Russia in the UN over its annexation of Crimea. Russia’s other supporters include North Korea and Syria.

“They (Ukrainians) have now chosen the EU,” Kirakosyan continued with a hint of anger in her tone. “At first we were also angry but we did not follow our dream. We stopped at some point.””

Lusine Baghdasaryan, a 32-year-old economist nodded. She said apathy was the problem. “I just don’t believe we can do it. It seems nothing now makes us angry,” she said.

But, said 28-year-old Syrian-Armenian Hayk Ghukasyan, can the US and the West be counted on to help out? “There are no guarantees. Just look at what the US did with Syria,” he said.

Ghukasyan fled from Syria’s civil war and is now struggling to find a job in Armenia.

“We are a small country with the tough and unresolved territorial problem of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),” he said. “If Azerbaijan smells fear they could resume war.”

People in Armenia are frustrated with their leaders but they also feel that they have few options. Geo-politically Armenia needs friends, and, for most, that means siding with Russia.

ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 180, published on April 16 2014)