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The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

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  • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

    Originally posted by crusader1492 View Post
    This guy is righteous!
    He is also a bit crazy... He is essentially Russia's barking dog. He uses language that top Russian diplomats avoid but would nevertheless want conveyed in some form. So, he definitely has an important role to play in Russian society and politics. But he definitely does likes Armenians. Or... does he simply hate Turks instead? Well, whatever his reasons may be he exemplifies the extreme right of true Russian Nationalism. Here is more of him on Armenian issues:

    ZHIRINOVSKY: KARABAKH TO FOLLOW THE PATH OF MONTENEGRO


    Unrecognized republics, which were formed in the territory of the former Soviet Union, will follow the path of Montenegro, Russian State Duma Vice-Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said. «Abkhazia, Transnistria and Karabakh will follow the path of Montenegro. Referendum on declaring independence in Montenegro is a precedent in the international law,» he told journalists in Moscow before the third congress of the Union of Armenians of Russia. «Time will come and resolutions on referendums will be adopted in the South Caucasus, e.g. Karabakh will acquire independence,» Zhirinovsky added. «Karabakh is fully entitled to become an independent state and for Baku not to feel hurt, it may not join Armenia, having allied relations with it,» Russian State Duma Vice-Speaker said. He also reminded that Abkhazia joined Russia earlier than Georgia and it was included in the Russian Empire as the Abkhaz Kingdom. «Transnistria has nothing to do with Moldova. Tiraspol and other cities of Transnistria are those created by Russians and Transnistria can join Russia with time,» Zhirinovsky remarked. May 21 a referendum on independence was held in Montenegro. The Montenegro independence block collected 55.5% of constituency votes, while the supporters of preservation of the common state got 44.5% of votes, Russian media report.

    Source: http://www.armtown.com/news/en/pan/20060525/18154/

    More on his nationalistic rhetoric, often times sounding like an extremist's rant. Excerpts from his book as presented by the American Heritage Foundation:


    Georgia is an impediment to us. We must change our border. We must have an outlet on the Pacific and Indian Oceans, or set up a "wall of China" to separate us from the South. But building a wall would interfere with our trade with Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. That would impoverish us. So we probably shouldn't do that. So there is only one choice. The operation should be carried out using the code-name "Final Thrust to the South." Our army will carry out this task. It will be a means for the nation as a whole to survive and a way to restore the Russian army. New armed forces are only born in combat operations. You cannot build an army in commissariats and barracks (p. 70).

    Russia must expand to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. This is not just my folly. This is Russia's destiny. This is fate. This is the great achievement of Russia. We must do this, we simply have no choice. We cannot do otherwise. This is geopolitics. Our development demands it as a child who has outgrown an outfit needs a new one. This is how I see Russia. She will have the strongest army in the world, strategic missile troops and missiles with multiple warheads. Our military space platforms, our space ship "Buran" and our "Energiya" rockets are the country's shield in space. Complete safety and no competitor (p. 112).

    It will be a new Russia... in which the Orthodox Christian religion plays the dominant role. We must not allow alien religions to break down the conscience o our youth, because that doesn't bring peoples closer, it interferes with their understanding of the world around them. We must help the Russian Orthodox religion attain its proper place.... One symbol, this black, yellow, and white flag, the flag of Russia, is the unifying symbol of the entire country.... One hymn, one state language, the language of international relations - Russian. One currency, the ruble. One system of finance, transport, ties, energy, ecology, defense, internal politics....

    ADVICE FOR THE UNITED STATES

    We say to America: Stop while there is still time. We say to Bill Clinton: don't repeat the mistakes of Napoleon and Hitler .... America will also start to fall apart soon. A lot of negative material has accumulated and there are many problems and ethnic conflicts arising. You have your own perestroika ahead of you, your own sickness, your own degradation. We Russians won't gloat when several of your states break away, when your factories stop running and you lack food and medicine, when people start to leave America for Europe, Russia, Ja- pan, South Africa, and Australia. We won't gloat when California becomes part of Mexico and a black republic of Miami is established, when the Russians take back Alaska. It won't be the United States of America, but the Commonwealth of New American States and in- stead of Washington running the country it will be run from San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Texas ...

    We won't humiliate you when you have to ask for loans from international banks or ask for extensions on your payments of old debts. You already have a huge domestic and international debt today. You already. have a huge number of problems. So don't dig trenches under others and don't spit in the well from which you yourself will someday have to drink. - We the Russians do not harbor hostile feelings towards Americans. We never clashed with them. On the contrary we shook hands as allies on the Elbe in Germany. Together we over- came the most terrible aggressor of the twentieth century. Today you [Americans] should not commit mistakes. The Chinese stopped in time. Mao's ideas did not capture the world, and the Maoist revo- lution did not spill over the borders of China. The Japanese did not demand world domina- tion either. The Germans are fed up with war forever, and do not want to take part in any kind of military conflicts. Sweden has altogether forgotten what a war is. After the defeat inflicted by the Russian army, the Swedes refused to fight anywhere....

    You Americans are the last nation, the last state that is making noise someplace, that is dis- patching its rapid reaction forces, is dictating, imposing its will on Iraq, Libya, and Serbia. Do not interfere with the affairs of Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia. Deal with your own problems. Let us finally deal with regional cooperation. Let us end the Cold War for real. You shouldn't tell us what to do in the Baltic countries, Central Asia, the Dnestr region and the Transcaucasus. And we won't tell you what to do in the [Latin Ameri- can] States. We won't look into why you kidnapped the legitimate president of Panama, Noriega, why you dropped paratroopers on Grenada and destroyed the regime of Morris Bishop, even though all these things are barbarity, open aggression, and interference in the affairs of other peoples and violations of international and national law. The hour may come when you will have to answer for all of this. You are demanding arms cuts. OK, let's start cutting. But simultaneously. We will not dis- arm unilaterally. We have consented to withdraw our troops from Europe, and you shall also withdraw yours.

    The Germans, for instance, want you out of their country more than they want us out. They would prefer Russian troops to American. In many countries of the world they desire that you pull out your bases. Americans, let us finish with the tension in the world that is generated by you and us. Let us not accuse each other, humiliate each other, not search to find who has more warheads, tanks, planes, and submarines. Let's agree on the balance of power in the world, upon the division of spheres of influence, upon the principle of regional cooperation, upon the principle of North-South relations which will stop any and all tension in East-West relations and will exclude war forever. Therefore, you Americans must leave the Balkans and the Near East.

    Then the world will thank you. But if you don't cool off your hot heads someday [the world] will put you on trial in a new Nuremburg. We believe in the common sense of Americans .... We display neither chauvinism nor wild nationalism. We would like to believe that you [Americans] don't seek the dominance of your nation over others. Remember, after all, that you live on what your government institutions steal on the sly. First you robbed South America and Africa, then profited from two world wars, and for the last fifty years you've been stealing the most valuable resource of all, "brains." Throughout the twentieth century the best minds in the world have been sail- ing, flying, and driving to your country from all over the world .... You should realize that your achievements don't come from the native population of America and the first settlers. Part of that wealth comes from Russians, because almost all the mathematicians in America are Soviet Jews who left the USSR. ... So let's calm down and occupy ourselves with domestic affairs, affairs of the neighboring region. For America that is the [Latin American] States and Mexico and the nearby region of the Caribbean. For France that means North Africa. For Russia that is Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. You have to agree with this and not interfere or meddle. The same with China.

    It has interests in Mongolia, in South Asia. But it should not give sidelong glances at Russian action in Afghanistan, let alone in Iraq or Turkey. Same with Japan. It is ready to accept Russian access to the coast of the Indian Ocean, but it wants some islands from the Kurile chain. Here, some solution can be found. Maybe something can be given to Japan. Possibly some part or another of an archipelago that is not fully colonized by us but that Japan badly needs. A formula can be found under which Japanese interests will be taken into account. Thus, positive conditions for the whole of mankind can be created, so that political AIDS, or a political Chernobyl will not strike our planet. The last word will belong to the Russians, because the Americans in the final analysis will agree with our position, with our formula of geopolitical development of the world through which Russia will establish its southern borders, its last thrust to the south (pp. 119-123).

    All this can be considered a political revelation of the foundation of a new arrangement in our region and a new favorable world order. We will be understood in all the capitals of the world. I have discussed this with Americans, Frenchmen, Germans, Japanese, Greeks, and Serbs-with many people (p. 137).

    Russia has been given a great historic mission. Therefore it must act decisively in national tasks, in the development of infrastructure, in the construction of good roads, storehouses, refrigerators, transportation routes, housing .... Russia will become one-story again-cottages, saunas, garages, gardens. This is better for living than these cement apartment blocks. Life will be better in India, because the conflict with Pakistan will end. Russia will have a border with India. The conflicts between China and Mongolia, China and Central Asia, China and India will cease. Japan at last will define itself in terms of its national interests. Everyone will have calm. South Africa will be guaranteed a white republic in the southern part of Africa.

    But no one will help Russia. As for America, it could happen that it will need Russia's help. Spanish-speaking people from Mexico and other Latin American countries will in- crease in the north. The black population will increase until it reaches 40-50 million. Altogether this means about 100 million people. Half of America will be colored. And in the future' since colored people reproduce faster, there will be more crime in America, with the white population dying out and the colored population increasing. Who knows, maybe America will be seeking help from Russia in the mid-21 st century? 'Russia must quickly become a strong and powerful state; it must have expanses of open water on its maritime borders. The Pacific Ocean isn't warm-water, but it abuts the far Eastern borders of Russia.

    Then there's the longest border in the world, between Russia and China. It must be a peaceful border for once and for all, because China focuses south, not north. Friendly India. Then at the end, the Indian -Ocean. And friendly Iraq. And in the west, those countries that possesses an advantage. Rumania may get this or that - we'll allow a little piece of Moldova .... The Poles feel infringed upon because they would like to claim Lvov, but Lvov is needed by the Republic of West Ukraine. And the Germans will press the Poles. In the regions of Volyn' or Brest, perhaps, Poland will acquire something. We could settle all these questions for our eastern and western neighbors, and our south- eastern neighbors, with just one condition-first Russia gets that which it needs: just like in trade, first goods come to Russia, then we concede some to our neighbors (pp. 138-139).

    Gorbachev and Yeltsin bent over backward to help the West, the USA, CIA, and Israel. And what did they get in return? Nothing. Not a thing. They were deceived. Neither the Stavropol bear nor the Ural bear were up to the negotiations. You need a different kind of intellect .... What you need here is a person with a cosmic intellect, or at least a planetary intellect (p. 140).

    Let Russia make its final "thrust" to the south. I can see the Russian soldiers gathering for the final expedition southward. I can see Russian commanders in Russian division and army headquarters, mapping out the route for the military formations and the endpoints of those routes. I see aircraft gathered in air bases around the southern regions of Russia. I see submarines surfacing near the coastline of the Indian Ocean and amphibious assault ships nearing the shore where Russian soldiers are already marching, armored infantry vehicles are on the move and great masses of tanks are rolling through. Russia will finally make her last military expedition. There will never be another war from the South for Russia and it has long since been impossible for war to come from the North. In the West they understand this, and in the East they will find out (p. 142).

    Source: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Rus...rasia/FYI8.cfmhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/Rus...rasia/FYI8.cfm
    Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

    Նժդեհ


    Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

    Comment


    • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

      Originally posted by Armenian View Post
      He is also a bit crazy... He is essentially Russia's barking dog. He uses language that top Russian diplomats avoid but would nevertheless want conveyed in some form. So, he definitely has an important role to play in Russian society and politics. But he definitely does likes Armenians. Or... does he simply hate Turks instead? Well, whatever his reasons may be he exemplifies the extreme right of true Russian Nationalism. Here is more of him on Armenian issues:
      Հրեայ է:

      Comment


      • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

        Originally posted by TomServo View Post
        Հրեայ է:
        {whispers} գիտեմ. Ասումեն որ Հիթլերն ել ճհուդ եր...{whispers}

        Yes, from his father's side. I think journalists once asked him what his 'ethnicity' was and he said - My mother was Russian, my father was a Lawyer

        Nevertheless, he is a Russian nationalist through and through and he has always maintained good relations with Armenians. That's what matters.

        Anyway, what's wrong with you? Are you turning into a racist or something?
        Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

        Նժդեհ


        Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

        Comment


        • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

          Originally posted by Armenian View Post
          Albania is not the "epicenter" of Europe, that honor goes to the pro-western central European nations - Czechia, Romania, Austria, etc. One of the fundamental reasons why I believe the US favors Albania is simply because Albanians can potentially be a balancing power to Serbia and Greece, two pro-Russian Orthodox nations. What's more, due to the Kosovo issue, Albanians tend to be vehemently pro-USA, unlike many other nations in the region who are at best pro-European Union. Moreover, as you pointed out, Albania also has an intimate relation with Turkey and, to a lesser extent Israel. So, the unofficial alliance here seems to be an extra-NATO military pact designed to forestall the evolution of a Orthodox/Russian pact within Europe. But why aggressively push the issue regarding Kosovo now? This issue is only serving to turn Serbs and Russians, I would even dare say Greeks, strongly against the USA and the EU. On the face of it, I think Kosovo's current status would have benefited the West. That is why I can't figure out their true intentions. There must be something we are not aware of.
          Armenian, first and foremost, "epicenter" was a very strong word, but regardless, my point is that having the means to invade another nation, but not the oppurtunity are entirely two different things. You need both the means and the oppurtunity. And most of the time, you must create oppurtunities for yourself. These proxy states, destabilizing agents, and satalite nations are means for the west to penerate regions, in a nutshell that is what Kosovo is about, the Trojans were not the only ones that were given wooden horses. Essentially, Kosovo is becoming the new Israel. The last century was spent dividing the Middle-East, the new century will be spent dividing the Balkans, Transcaucus, and Iran. Furthermore, it will be spent trying to make sure Russia will not be the "troll" underneath the oil spiket. The players will be Russia, fighting for its historic position in the region, the west, attempting to destabilize Russia, the various vultures supported by the west that will try to grab the little scraps from the table of power, and finally, China and India, waiting on the sidelines, building their economies. in The case of China and India, the greed of capitalist will eventually lead mankind to the brink of extinction, if 270 million Americans have spent 3 times as much resources as 1.5 billion Chinamen in the 20th century, which begs the question, how will the world accomedate for the 1.5 billion Chinamen in the 21st century? Civilizations are going to be fighting a brutal war in the next century, I have been told I am "pessimest", but I consider myself a realist. If people on the micro level don't wake up, corporations and bad government will delay the key jump in technology that has to be made in order for our civilization to continue living in relative peace and harmony.

          What I fear most is how this will affect European, Christian, and white civilizations? These actions on behalf of inexperienced nations will lead our way of life into a decline, European against European, Christian against Christian, for what purpose? Money? Wealth? Economies? There is only so much you can "integrate" into your civilization. I would call everyone to the alarming trends and figures, but people are just braindead. After a while, what you have had originally that made you unique becomes so entangled that you eventually lose any connection to what was actually "unique".

          I'm still unsure about this one. Yes, it is the 'indirect' isolation of Russia by isolating Serbia and Greece. However, this still does not answer the question - why now? The world is a power keg. Western policy makers know this well. So, why play with fire now? Why attract another crisis in Europe when all you had to do was keep the status quo regarding Kosovo? I believe there exists another reason to all this that we have yet not addressed. And you are naive to think that independence for Kosovo will not eventually lead to an armed clash between Serbs and Albanians, which can easily evolve into an armed clash between NATO and Russia.
          Armenian, trust me, I am not naive, you have to make sure you avoid "communicating" what you should "not be communicating", I am not a advocate of war, I am a advocate of avoiding war by making sure we don't make mistakes that will lead to war. I am sure you are not as well, but we should make sure it does not come to this.
          Last edited by Virgil; 12-14-2007, 03:02 AM.

          Comment


          • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

            Two things, Virgil:

            First, I essentially agree with all your assessments regarding this topic of discussion. However, you have not addressed the question I have - Why now? Why is NATO/EU doing this now? Why at this volatile time in world history? Second, it is very obvious that Kosovo independence 'will' lead to war. The aforementioned leads me to believe that there must be another reason we have not yet addressed.
            Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

            Նժդեհ


            Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

            Comment


            • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

              When it comes to the nature of Russian-Armenian relations the following is what matters.

              Armenian

              ************************************************** ******************

              Armenia Armed by Russia for battles with Azerbaijan Scandal compared to Iran-Contra



              Russia secretly has shipped more than $1 billion worth of arms to Armenia, apparently to be used against - pro-Western Azerbaijan and - to force the Azeris -and their strategic oil reserves into Russia's orbit. Aman Tuleyev, minister for relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States, has acknowledged that Moscow supplied Armenia with 84 T-72 main battle tanks, 72 heavy howitzers, 24 Scud missiles with eight launchers, 50 armored personnel carriers and millions of rounds of ammunition. Lev Rokhlin, the chairman of the Defense Committee of the Duma, the lower House of the Russian parliament, told a closed Duma session April 2 that Moscow had -shipped $1 billion worth of weapons to the tough, nationalist government of President Levon Ter-Petrosian in Yerevan. His report was similar to Mr. Tuleyev's acknowledgment. Between 1992 and early 1994, when the conflict was at its height, Russian heavy transport aircraft were said to have ferried 1,300 tons of ammunition across the Caucasus to the Armenian capital. Most of the tanks were flown in aboard giant Antonov planes from the city of Akhtubinsk.

              The Azeris say Russia also supplied 1,000 hand-fired Strela-2 and Strela-3anti-aircraft missiles, which were moved by ship across The Caspian Sea, then sent over land through Iran to Armenia. Iran has denied playing any role. Western intelligence sources said The weapons played a crucial role in Armenia's, seizure of large areas of Azerbaijan, which created a million refugees, more than from any other conflict in Europe since World War II. Although Russia's military support for Armenia in its long conflict with Azerbaijan has been well-known, the extent of the arms transfers came as a surprise.

              Responding to the revelations, Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered a major government probe Saturday that could implicate his longtime defense minister, Marshal Pavel Grachev who was fired last spring. Russian military prosecutors are considering calling Marshal Grachev in for questioning over the scandal, which has been compared to The Iran-Contra affair. The- chairman of the Azeri parliament, Murtuz Alesketov, said Saturday the arms shipments could destabilize the Caucasus. "If these arms are not returned, this could lead to a new large-scale war in the region" he said at parliamentary hearings in Baku. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Shi'ite Muslim Azerbaijan has eagerly courted American oil companies to help it develop the immense oil and gas reserves of the Caspian Sea, estimated as second in size and value only to those in the Persian Gulf. Russia has responded by backing Orthodox Christian Armenia, its historic
              ally.

              [...]

              Source: http://www.geocities.com/baguirov/arms1.htm

              ARMENIA AND RUSSIA REASSERT BONDS AMID GEORGIA’S CRISIS



              While Georgia’s political crisis continues into its third week, Russian officials have praised Armenia as a chief ally in the volatile Transcaucasus region, potentially strengthening strategic ties between Moscow and Yerevan. On Nov.14, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov met with his Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanian in Moscow. Russia’s chief diplomat hailed the bilateral alliance. Oskanian noted "complicated situation" in the region and dismissed media allegations that Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze had requested assistance from Armenian President Robert Kocharian. "It did not happen," Oskanian said, according to the RIA news agency. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov also distanced Russia and Armenia from the crisis in Georgia. Ivanov dubbed Armenia as "Russia’s only ally in the south," called Russian arms supplies to Armenia "purely defensive" and pledged to replenish them. "Russia’s military presence in Armenia is necessary. The military hardware at the Russian 102nd base makes any threat to Armenia unrealistic," Ivanov told a news conference in Yerevan, according to Interfax. "We will rearm and re-equip the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia." On November 11, Ivanov and his Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisian signed a number of agreements on the Russian military base as well as on bilateral military cooperation in 2004. The deals seem to bolster what is already a close strategic relationship. "These agreements would allow the 102nd base to feel more comfortable," Ivanov reportedly commented. Russian forces in Armenia reportedly use MiG-29 jetfighters and S300 PMU1 air defense batteries, an advanced version of the SA-10C Grumble air defense missile. According to Russian missile manufacturers, the new S300 has anti-stealth capability and can shoot down combat aircraft, cruise missiles as well as ballistic missiles in an ABM mode. The S300 PMU1 missile system can engage targets flying as low as 10 meters off the ground at a range of up to 150 kilometers.

              [...]

              Source: http://www.eurasianet.org/department...av111703.shtml

              Russia to invest over half billion dollars to Armenian economy



              Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today had meeting, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti agency.
              The sides discussed huge projects to be implemented with the participation of Russia in Armenia. Kremlin source stated that bilateral cooperation in energy with the participation of Gasprom occupies special place among these projects. Over $500 million will be invested in Armenian economy in the framework of this project. Involvement of Russian capital into the development of Razdan Thermal Power Station, construction of refinery near Mehri city, modernization of Armenia’s railways and other transport infrastructures, atomic energy, gold production and other fields are on focus. Putin and Kocharyan also touched on several international problems and the situation in the Caucasus.

              Source: http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=33372

              Gazprom: Oil Refinery in Armenia To Process Crude Oil from Iran



              A subsidiary of Russia's state-run Gazprom gas giant confirmed on Friday reports that it is considering building a big oil refinery in Armenia that would process crude from neighboring Iran. A spokesman for the Gazprom-Neft company, Natalya Vyalkina, told RFE/RL that both the Armenian and Russian governments are looking into the project estimated at a staggering $1.7 billion. She would not say when they could make concrete decisions. Reports in the Russian press have said President Robert Kocharian discussed the matter with Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and other top officials during his confidential visit to Moscow last week. Khristenko’s ministry refused to comment on the information. Russian-Armenian cooperation on energy was on the agenda of Kocharian’s follow-up talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The projected refinery would reportedly be built in Meghri, an Armenian town close to the Iranian border, and have the capacity to process up to 7 million tons of Iranian oil each year. Petrol produced by it would be exported to Iran. Despite its vast oil reserves, the Islamic Republic has to import gasoline to meet domestic demand.

              Source: http://www.huliq.com/8161/gazprom-oi...-oil-from-iran

              Russia going to finance construction of new NPP in Armenia?



              Russia is ready to fully finance construction of a new Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia, IA Regnum reports with a reference to a source in the Armenian government. Some agreements were achieved during the recent visit of Sergey Kiriyenko, the head of the Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) to Yerevan. Russia will be a joint owner of the new Armenian NPP, according to the source. Russia’s share in abuilding NPPs in foreign states may make from 5% to 20-30%. Kiriyenko said Russia is ready to send specialists for the works to be carried out. The Armenian authorities are planning to build a new NPP, since the republic has no other alternative after the closing of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. At a meeting with the students of the Yerevan State University RA President Robert Kocharian said Armenia should have atomic energy and works are carried out in this direction. Some $240 million is essential to close the ANPP whose operation term expires in 2016. However, with joining the European Neighborhood Policy, Armenia undertook to close the NPP in the shortest terms.

              Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=22103

              Russian defense minister visited Memorial to victims of the Armenian Genocide



              On January 26, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov who is currently in Armenia, visited Memorial to victims of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire in Yerevan. As a REGNUM correspondent informs, the Russian minister was accompanied by Secretary of National Security Council of the Armenian President, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, representative of the country’s military commandment, Russian Ambassador to Armenia and other officials. Ivanov placed a wreath to the Eternal Flame and observed the pine tree that he had planted by himself at the Alley of memory. Besides, during his trip Ivanov visited Russian military base in Gyumri, met the Armenian president, prime minister and defense minister of Armenia.

              Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/polit/579732.html

              One of Russia’s priorities – relations with Armenia - Lavrov



              Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday relations with Armenia is one of Russia’s priorities. “We believe that stability in the Caucasus depends in many respects on Armenia’s situation,” he told a meeting with students and professors of the Yerevan State University. “It is possible to ensure such stability not by means of creating a certain bloc, but by means of joint efforts,” he said. “Within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization we do not try to fence off ourselves from others or work against anyone,” he said. The Collective Security Treaty Organization is “aimed at stability, counteraction to terrorism and drugs trafficking and open cooperation with the countries interested in resolving these tasks,” Lavrov said. He pointed out that Russia is interested in calm on its borders, stable development of neighbouring countries and “mutually advantageous and equal cooperation with them proceeding from the interests of our economies and our countries.”

              Source: http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....2515&PageNum=0
              Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

              Նժդեհ


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              • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

                Originally posted by Armenian View Post
                And will not southern Azerbaijan be grateful for the chance to unite with northern Azerbaijan? They are a single people. But there are about sixteen million of them living in northern Iran who are not allowed to speak their native language or consider themselves Azeris.

                I just read the articles about this Zhirinovsky guy. His rhetoric sounded a bit childish to me but interesting at the same time (especially the parts concerning us, Armenians). I seemed to agree with a lot of his ideas, until I read the above excerpt of his sayings about a "Great Azerbaijan". I wonder why he said such a dumb and dangerous thing? It almost stands in contradiction of what he had said previously and his fear of the spread of Pan-Turkism.

                Comment


                • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

                  Originally posted by Lucin View Post
                  I just read the articles about this Zhirinovsky guy. His rhetoric sounded a bit childish to me but interesting at the same time (especially the parts concerning us, Armenians). I seemed to agree with a lot of his ideas, until I read the above excerpt of his sayings about a "Great Azerbaijan". I wonder why he said such a dumb and dangerous thing? It almost stands in contradiction of what he had said previously and his fear of the spread of Pan-Turkism.
                  An intellectual, Zhirinovski is not. Nor is he a diplomat, for that matter. Zhirinovski simply speaks his mind, the mind of the average Russian nationalist. In a way, you can compare him to George Bush, without the theatrics that has made Zhirinovsky popular amongst Russians. They both appeal to the average "Joe"... well, the average "Ivan" in Russia. The excerpts from the book in question were from the early 90s. The Soviet System had just collapsed. However, the new world order had not yet taken shape. Zhirinovski was simply expressing sentiments that were based upon his personal experiences 'then' - not now. I am confident that Zhirinovski has had a change of heart about Iran. As you are well aware, many people to this day fail to understand the true nature of Iran and its role in global politics. Nonetheless, Zhirinosky is 'not' meant to be taken seriously. He simply provides us with entertainment, albeit with a nationalist's twist.
                  Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

                  Նժդեհ


                  Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

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                  • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

                    10 Reasons Why Russia Can’t Trust Uncle Sam


                    The West says that it is perplexed by Russia's "aggressive" behavior of late, and suggests that Moscow is desirous to regain its past superpower status, and even a little empire. But if cashing in on oil is imperialism, how do we explain the following U.S. moves:

                    10. Scrapping the Anti-Ballisxtic Missile Treaty - In Decemxber 2001, three months after 9/11, U.S. President George W. Bush told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. was pulling out of the 1972 ABM Treaty, a Cold War-era document that specifically forbade the development and deployment of anti-missile defense systems. The treaty ensured that signatory nations adhere to the mutually assured destruction (MAD) concept - if you destroy us we will destroy you formula. Yes, it was certainly MAD, but it kept the peace for 30 years. Former Defense Secrextary Donald Rumsfeld attempted to reassure Moscow that the decision was nothing personal. "It [the treaty] failed to recognize that the Soviet Union is gone and that Russia is, of course, not our enemy." Putin called the move "a mistake."

                    9. "Mission Accomplished" - On March 20, 2003, the United States - without a mandate from the United Nations, and against the heated objections of France, Germany and Russia - invaded Iraq on the pretext that the secular Baathist state of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was a proud sponsor of terrorism. Both accusations were proven wrong. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the BBC in an interview that the attack was a violation of international law. "From our point of view and the UN Charter point of view, it [the war] was illegal."

                    8. Pentagon Spending Spree - The United States, which just put the finishing touches on a $583 billion dollar shopping trip for 2008, accounts for about half of global expenditures (or the next 14 nations). However, as Robert Higgs of the Indexpendent Institute argues, "the trillion-dollar defense budget is already here." Higgs calculated that U.S. military-related spending in 2006 was actually $934.9 billion if we figure in Homexland Security ($69.1bln), the Dept. of Energy, which oversees nuclear weapons ($16.6 bln) and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs ($69.8 bln), as well as other juicy pork chops. In May, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate approved almost $95 billion for the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through September (Go Dems!). Meanwhile, "aggressive" Russia, with a 48 percent increase in military spending since 1996, still spends ‘just' $85 billion annually on military expenditures.

                    7. NATO XXL - As Dan Simpson, a retired U.S. diplomat argued in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "The United States and other NATO members have taken some actions along the way to lull the Russians into acquiescence as NATO expanded to include the former Warsaw Pact naxtions... The argument was that these countries wanted to join NATO and that their membership posed no threat to Russia. That line prevailed as NATO membership grew to include also Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, former republics of the Soviet Union. Now the Russians see the same argument being advanced for Georgia and Ukraine. That's getting close to home."

                    6. New Military Bloopers - As the Pakistani government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf struggles to contain the fallout of an 8-day battle against militants at the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), a U.S. official turned up the heat by telling CNN that if the U.S. "had actionable targets, anywhere in the world," including Pakistan, then "we would pursue those targets." Meanwhile, talk about a possible attack on Iran, a nation that ranked on America's axis of evil hit parade, continues.

                    5. Think-Tank Saber Rattling - Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press write an article in the prestigious U.S. journal Foreign Affairs entitled "Nuclear Primacy" (March/April 2006), which argues, in a nutshell, that "It will probably soon be possible for the United States to destroy the long-range nuclear arsenals of Russia or China with a first strike." Is this the sort of article that America should be supporting if it wants Russia to believe that elements of the proposed U.S. missile defense system in Poland and... oops! Don't want to spoil the plot! Anyways, Moscow ‘responds' with very accurate penmanship one year later as it test-fires its new RS-24 ballistic missile that it said could "overcome any potential missile defense systems developed by foreign countries."

                    4. Cheney Comfort - One month after the above love letter hit newsstands, Vice President xxxx Cheney, during a trip to Vilnius, Lithuania, assuaged Moscow's fears by reiterating, once again: "Russia has nothing to fear and everything to gain" by ‘democratic activity' on her borders.

                    3. Gates' Gated Community - In early 2007, Pentagon chief Robert Gates urged viligance when he warned, "We don't know what's going to develop in places like Russia and China, in North Korea, in Iran and elsewhere." Was this a simple case of mistaken identity by a former White House Russian analyst? Whatever the case, it certainly helped to provoke Putin's heated Munich speech in February, where he admonished the world's "one master, one sovereign."

                    2. EU Culpability - As the War on Terror continues, Europe is losing its Snow White innocence. As the German magazine Der Spiegel reported, "On July 19, 2002, a Gulfstream business jet took off from Frankfurt am Main bound for Amman, Jordan. The flight received an AFTM exempt [pilot code for ‘extreme situation'], although it carried neither patients nor politicians. Instead, the jet was carrying a CIA team that took a Maurixtanian terrorism suspect... to Guanxtanamo." Der Spiegel reported that this "camouflaging of an illegal kidnapping as a rescue flight" was not an isolated event: There were 390 such takeoffs and landings in Germany between 2002 and 2006. And considering Eastern European hotels, it's just too scary to consider those secret terrorist prisons that allegedly exist in Poland and Romania.

                    1. Don't Worry, These anti-Missile Missiles won't Hurt You, Really - Washington is now incredulous, shocked, mortified that Moscow has the nerve to suggest that there could be less than good intentions involved in the construction of an anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, even though there are no bad-guy technologies on the horizon that such a system could intercept. Go figure!

                    Source: http://mnweekly.ru/columnists/20070726/55263769.html
                    Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

                    Նժդեհ


                    Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

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                    • Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

                      Armenia Threatens To Quit Key Arms Treaty



                      By Ruzanna Khachatrian

                      Armenia could pull out of a key arms control pact if arch-rival Azerbaijan continues its military build-up in the coming years, Defense Minister Mikael Harutiunian warned on Friday. Harutiunian claimed that Azerbaijan is already failing to comply with the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which places specific limits on the deployment of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast to Russia's Ural mountains. “The Republic of Armenia has made no such decision yet,” he said. “But if Azerbaijan does not stop buying and brining in large quantities of weapons in contravention of that treaty, Armenia could make such a decision.” The CFE, which helped to end the Cold War, sets equal weapons quotas for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. All three South Caucasus states signed up to the treaty following the Soviet collapse. Earlier this week, Russia officially suspended its participation in the treaty in protest against failure by all NATO member states to ratify its revised 1999 version. The treaty has clearly not prevented an intensifying arms race between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The latter is increasingly using its soaring oil revenues for a military build-up which Baku hopes will eventually enable it to win back Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries have long been accusing each other of exceeding their CFE ceilings. In particular, Azerbaijan says that Armenia has keeps a large part of its weaponry in Nagorno-Karabakh to imitate its compliance with the pact. Armenian officials, for their part, accuse Baku of obstructing international inspections of its military facilities. Harutiunian issued the warning after hearings on Armenia’s defense doctrine organized by the National Assembly committee on defense and security. Artur Aghabekian, a retired army general heading the panel, likewise said that Yerevan should be prepared for such an option. “Pulling out of the CFE does not stem from Armenia’s national interests,” said Aghabekian. “But if the treaty becomes non-existent, we should not regard that as a tragedy. Armenia would have to draw conclusions.”

                      Source: http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeni...4C88FEFB1C.ASP

                      Armenia’s deputy chair of parliament: Russia’s suspension of CFE Treaty must not cause concern


                      Russia’s suspension of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty is a rude attempt to correct the mistakes of the Russian leadership made in 1990s, believes Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, member of ARFD Dashnaktsutiun Vahan Hovhannisyan. He made the statement at a news conference today, on December 13. A REGNUM correspondent quotes him as saying that permanent NATO expansion, boisterous wish of some post-Soviet republics to enter the alliance must make Russia concerned. However, according to the deputy speaker, such motion of the Russian leadership will not help increasing trust of its Western partners. At the same time, the suspension of the treaty by Russia must not stir concern, as, for instance, Russia’s military strategy has no aggressive programs, Hovhannisyan believes. Commenting on the question whether it is possible that Armenia would follow Russia’s example in the CFE Treaty, the politician noted that such action would be possible only if Armenia’s closest neighbors in he region revise their participation in the treaty. At the same time, the deputy speaker said hat one Armenia’s neighbor – Azerbaijan – has never limited itself in buying arms and violating thus the CFE principles. Russia suspended its participation in the CFE Treaty on December 12. For the time of the moratorium, Russia will in no way be bound by limitations, including flank restrictions for the number of conventional weapons. Further, true numbers of weapons and its deployment will depend on a certain military and political situation.

                      Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/polit/931766.html

                      Russia suspends arms control pact



                      President Vladimir Putin has signed a law which suspends Russia's participation in a treaty limiting military forces in Europe. It follows its adoption earlier this month by the Russian parliament. The Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, signed in 1990, limits the deployment of tanks, aircraft and other heavy conventional weapons. Russia says the suspension is a reply to the non-ratification of the treaty by Nato countries. The law will come into effect on 12 December, allowing Russia to boost its troop levels on its western and southern borders, although no imminent plans to this effect have been announced. Nato members, led by the United States, have refused to ratify the CFE treaty until Moscow withdraws its troops from the former Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia, as Russia had promised in 1999.

                      Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7120658.stm
                      Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

                      Նժդեհ


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