{"id":33969,"date":"2022-08-31T12:49:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T12:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media.am\/?p=33969"},"modified":"2022-09-12T10:11:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T10:11:40","slug":"the-narratives-of-the-opposition-field-of-armenia-regarding-the-war-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/verified\/2022\/08\/31\/33969\/","title":{"rendered":"The Narratives Of The Opposition Field Of Armenia Regarding The War In Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 of this year is one of the biggest geopolitical events of recent decades. It received a widespread response all over the world.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Armenia is not an exception. The authorities of Armenia have largely remained neutral in this matter. This is evidenced by <\/span>the official announcements<\/span><\/a> and by the abstention votes of Armenia in the UN <\/span>General Assembly<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Human Rights Council<\/span><\/a> on issues related to the conflict.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The image is different in some parts of the non-governmental field, particularly in the propaganda statements and posts of figures and user accounts from the opposition field. We are talking not only about the well-known figures of the parliamentary opposition but about the figures and platforms connected with the opposition in some way or related to them.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Undisguised support for Russia’s “special military operation” can be seen only among some figures. In particular, on March 14, a small demonstration in support of Russia took place in front of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. Among them was former PAP deputy <\/span>Aragats Akhoyan<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And on March 19, in support of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, a rally was held in Yerevan, among the speakers of which were former PAP deputy <\/span>Tigran Urikhanyan<\/span><\/a>, former RPA faction deputy and owner of “Iravunk” newspaper <\/span>Hayk Babukhanyan<\/span><\/a>, singer Mher Mesropyan (“Mger Armenia”) and others.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

More often, some opposition figures and platforms promote two narratives. First, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are “the same” and secondly, Ukraine is to blame for the start of the war. The first one has an internal political significance, but with a global flavor, and the purpose of the second one is to justify or justify Russia’s actions.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Zelensky-Pashinyan: opposition figures<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first narrative, which has been shared among opposition figures, platforms, and accounts on social networks, is the comparison of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, for example, RPA member, former Deputy Minister of Defense Artak Zakaryan, talking about the sanctions against Russia, ends one of his Facebook <\/span>posts<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>archived<\/span><\/a>) with the following line, “Comedians, populists, street parasites and other unbalanced degenerates cannot be trusted with power.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Zakaryan in another <\/span>post<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>archived<\/span><\/a>) without naming Pashinyan or Zelensky, calls them “lucky clowns” and claims that when “velvets, colorful roses, Arab springs, and orange Maidans are wrapped on people’s heads from the outside,” it can lead to nuclear weapons. of application.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And on the day of the invasion of Ukraine, Zakaryan <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>archived<\/span><\/a>) that “The peoples of the countries at geopolitical crossroads must finally understand that populism and adventurous government are destructive, in the first case, for them. Moldova (1992), Georgia (2008), Ukraine (2014), Armenia (2018)…” Here, the comparison was not between Pashinyan and Zelensky, but between the “Velvet Revolution” and “Euromaidan,” but the phrase “populism and adventurous government” is clearly aimed at them.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>former president<\/span><\/a> of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, is often added to Pashinyan-Zelensky comparisons. The former president of the Chamber of Advocates and head of the “<\/span>Zartonq<\/span><\/a>” national Christian <\/span>party<\/span><\/a>, Ara Zohrabyan, announced the day after the Russian invasion, “Nikol Pashinyan is an unsuccessful manager. He, Zelensky and Saakashvili are the results of the same factory.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Zohrabyan is also a member of the “<\/span>Liberation Movement<\/span><\/a>” initiative, which organized a <\/span>signature collection<\/span><\/a> demanding Pashinyan’s resignation.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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