Ready for peace, or not ready for peace

I am an advocate for peace in the region Armenia’s crossroad for peace strategy. I wrote “strategy” and not “initiative” because I believe it to be a security strategy for Armenia that diversifies Armenia’s foreign policy that includes closer political ties with the west and aims to make Armenia self-reliant in charting its own strategy. Like any other strategy, it does not all depend on us and it will tax us, much like any other strategy.  Obviously, war is the ultimate tax we pay in blood and lives and it comes about for enforcing a strategy that failed otherwise. Attached are excerpts from friends Vahe H Apelian

Avo G Boghosian: “the important thing is to realize whether we are ready for peace”. (Source: Are we ready for peace? Asbarez Daily, May 3, 2024):

“The people of Armenia, unfortunately squeezed between the two Turkish states, cut off from the sea routes connecting it to the outside world, and for being exposed to all kinds of disasters that have plagued humanity for centuries, naturally could not have a significant demographic growth. On the contrary, they resorted to emigration wherever they could, like many other peoples, which experienced such calamities. Consequently, the demographic picture of Armenia is bleak when comparing with our neighbor Azerbaijan, with whom our last war turned into a disaster. 

Tunisian Arab historian and demographer Ibn Khaltu, who lived in the 19th century, said that depopulation leads to desolation and in decline of civilization. Armenia’s natural growth is negative due to an endless state of war. 

Consequently, the establishment of peace is a priority. Whether we will reach that desirable situation, no one can guess, because it does not depend only on us. However, the important thing is to realize whether we are ready for peace, because the period between peace and the next war is no less difficult than the war itself.”

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Ara Ghazarian: “good relations witch its neighbors” (posted on my Facebook page in Armenian.

“Dear Vahe.

It's been a long time since I posted my opinions while reading all that is posted on Facebook. I thought by being one less commentator, I am being more useful to Armenia.

But I am about to explode.

We are a people who has no knowledge what politics entails. We express ourselves however we want. We have a newly independent country for 30 years. But I am afraid that we may lose it due to our disagreement.

We are a nation that will live in the past and not in the future. For us the genocide has been a priority. We hate the Azeris by calling them Turks. Recently I was reading the English Economist newspaper, where an Azeri reporter wrote that “We Azeris had nothing to do with the genocide of 1915, but the Armenians made us into Turks as having participated in the crimes committed by the Turks.”

During the early days of independence, in the beginning of 1990, Levon Ter Petrosyan (LTP) said that governments do not  lead a country by sentiments. Diaspora immediately accused him of negligence.  He was right. We could have a good relationship with Turkey and still push forward the issue of the big crime (Meds Yeghern).

During a conference, LTP said that “every year we delay the Artsakh issue, we make it more difficult for the international community”. He was right again.

The painful Ottoman pogroms made us terrified of the Turks. Fearing that the Turks would attack us, we us relied on the Russians to protect us in case the Turks attacked us.  What a big mistake that was for us, as if the Turks were going gobble us.

And finally, let me say this - if a country wants to prosper, it must have good relations witch its neighbors. Long wars weaken a country, causing poverty and emigration of the people.”

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Jack Chelebian M.D.: “LOOKING BACK, I WAS WRONG” (posted on my Facebook page.”

“I will start at home. My late father was pro LTP’s position on seeking peace. He based that on his opinion that it wasn’t just Armenian valor and superiority that led to Armenia prevailing in the early 90’s, but that after swinging back and forth Russia had tipped the scale in favor of Armenia; however, Russia has its own interests, and things could be different in the future. I was more of an observer rather than one with strong opinions about the matter. Then, after Robert Kocharian + forced the resignation of LTP, I was swept up by the optimistic tide supportive of the young, militaristic hard-line regime of Kocharian. it also helped that at that point Russia was still arming Armenia - later it went on to supply as much, or I should say more arms to Azerbaijan).

LOOKING BACK, I WAS WRONG about Armenia’s first post-Soviet President of Armenia Levon Ter Petrosian.

You heard it here first, folks. First to admit being wrong about LTP.”