It has become a sign of good manner to loudly declare your disagreement (or agreement) with the documents, which in principle may not even be signed. The point is that despite the date set for signing the protocols - October 10, it is still unclear whether Armenia will sign them or not. Even the contents is not so important as the fact how effectively the Protocols are used. It's common knowledge that protocols, even when initialed and signed, can be a simple piece of paper, if they are not ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. As far as Armenia is concerned, no problems will arise here - the National Assembly of Armenia will ratify the Protocols. Quite different is the position of Turkey. Reliable sources state that Armenia requires guarantees from Ankara on mandatory ratification of the Protocols, otherwise Yerevan will not sign anything. But it is exactly what the government of Gul and Erdogan cannot guarantee. Moreover, at the summit of Turkic-speaking countries in Nakhijevan Abdullah Gul again talked of the Karabakh issue as a precondition for normalizing relations. And all this happens when the world community is really in anticipation of signing the Protocols. It is unlikely that Turkish authorities should fail to understand that the United States, Russia and Europe are not determined to wait until Ankara makes bold to tell Azerbaijan: "Excuse us, brothers, but we have to sign the Protocols."

Fuel is added to the fire by home-grown patriots and analysts, who, as we have repeatedly mentioned, are simply carrying out their self-advertising campaign. Had they a will, they would declare the President of Armenia a second Vasak Syuni... They are ready to do it and no one would ever tell these awkward patriots that with their statements they simply give an extra motivation to Ankara to refuse to normalize relations. If anyone thinks that the Armenian Genocide and the memory of the soldiers killed in the Karabakh war can be consigned to oblivion, they are deeply mistaken. Any head of the Armenian state, who is ready to this step, could, at best, offer his resignation. Let us not discuss the worst case. And hardly can our Diaspora be so naive as to assume that the RA President can say one thing and do another. After all, one should always think twice before shouting slogans that are worth nothing. These slogans have no value, no matter how determined the analysts are in their attempts to "demonize" Serzh Sargsyan. He is simply a human being, although being president of a country. Scarcely can he be tempted by the dubious "glory" of Vasak Syuni. With the light (or perhaps wicked) hand of Armenian writer Derenik Demirchyan, the image of Vasak became the symbol of a traitor of a nation. Since the novel was published, Armenian parents have never given this name to their sons. However, no one takes into account what sufferings Vasak had to bear. Warriors of Vardan died earning martyrdom, while Vasak ended his days in sorrow and grief.

Sometimes it seems the Armenians should be prohibited to read historical novels, which on the one hand instill patriotism, while on the other, lead into the past, which is nothing but regret and sorrow. And the result is apparent; we have become a nation living in the past, to some extent in the present, but certainly not in the future. Let us repeat once again: we are not going to forget the fate of nearly two million people in Western Armenia. It must always be kept in mind, but arguments on "returning of territories" or, even worse, on renewal of expired international treaties can lead to nothing good.

No matter how unpleasant it may be, it is necessary to build relations with the Turks. But the interesting point is that all the Armenian population goes on vacation to Turkish resorts and comes back in rapture with the intention to go there next year as well. And they all go through Georgia, which is very inconvenient. But who cares that these hotels are built on the bones of Western Armenians? So, we needn't arouse a storm in a teacup, beat on the chest and scream about patriotism. All this leads to the thought that maybe all of these protests are a PR campaign too, in order not to sign the Protocols in case any problems occur…

In short, the Armenian nation, as always, writs proclamation, signs petitions, stages protest actions. Alas, we are unable to go beyond that. Or perhaps we do not want to...?