Armenia as “shield” against Islamic invasion?

PanARMENIAN.Net - Intensification of diplomatic ties seems justified in this case and primarily proceeds from the interests of major players in the region. Both the U.S. and Europe are concerned about who will come to power in Armenia. Things are clear with Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev will remain in power for long, but hardly will he be happy; Georgia is fairly predictable too, whereas things are a bit complicated with Armenia. It's not about the unpredictability of Armenian home policy, which, in fact, is quite transparent and predictable. It’s about the outside world. It’s so happened that Armenian-Turkish relations, recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the politically weighty Armenian Diaspora can be a challenge greater than construction of pipelines. After all, gas and pipe route can be negotiated, while it’s much harder to come to terms with the Armenian Diaspora, not only in the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition and Armenian-Turkish relations. Actually the problem rests upon the economic isolation of Armenia, which seems to have no end. As for Russia, she, as always, has her own view of things, expressing it rather roughly, though to the point: “There is no getting away from us”. There is a grain of truth in these words: purely geographically, Russia borders the South Caucasus and in case of unfavorable development can immediately introduce her “peacekeepers” into the country, while neither the U.S. nor Europe can do the same. This is, of course, good for Armenia on the one hand, but on the other - not really, because all the by-products and illnesses of the Russian state directly affect the RA, unfortunately. And in order to reduce these by-products to a minimum, senior U.S. and European officials, not to mention the president of France, visit Yerevan from time to time.

As mentioned above, among the issues discussed in Yerevan there can be singled out one that has become a trouble for the EU and the U.S.. It is the Armenian-Turkish relations, or rather the absence thereof. In connection with the “Arab spring” that seems endless, Turkey’s recent behavior has been considerably worrying the Western civilization, which now faces the threat of Muslim expansion. So, quite understandable is the tough stance of France and Germany in preventing Turkey’s EU membership. Armenia, by that logic, can somewhat reduce Turkey’s chances of EU membership, so long as Ankara is unlikely to fully restore diplomatic relations. Parenthetically, this also true about Yerevan. Nevertheless, one should remember that not everyone in Europe has realized the danger of Islamic penetration, and Sweden, Britain, Spain, Italy and Finland are still supporting the Turkish government, despite the fact that the number of Muslims in these countries is growing exponentially and the likelihood of terrorist attacks becomes greater.

Turkish daily Vatan reports that at one time there was drawn up a secret action plan on Turkey’s accession to the EU, before the presidency of Cyprus, which now threatens to veto Turkey’s membership issue. Turkey also does not leave this move of Cyrus unanswered and threatens to break off relations with the EU, should Cyprus take presidency in 2012. What the EU leaders will arrive at is difficult to say: decisions are made by consensus. The rotation principle cannot be changed as there is the Charter, but to quarrel with Turkey is unprofitable, too. Nevertheless, we believe that common sense prevails in the EU, and all the “politically correct” statements of Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Mr. Štefan Fule will not seriously affect the attitude of France and Germany. These countries are concerned about saving the euro and the European Union in general as a single economic space, which, however, does not prevent them from shielding themselves against Islamic expansion.

Under these circumstances Armenia may receive some benefits, but to serve as a Christian shield against Islam is not so beneficial: this position of a “shield” will lead to no good. And Christian countries are “renowned” for leaving their loyal friends as unnecessary.