Saakashvili’s UN speech was political mistake - opinions

The Georgian president’s remarks on the Armenian-Azerbaijani tension over Nagorno-Karabakh are not his first attempt to interfere in the domestic affairs of Armenia, a political analyst has said, commenting on Mikheil Saakahvili’s recent speech at the UN General Assembly.

“That’s, first of all, none of his business. Besides, there have never been normal comments by Saakashvili. He has the right to deliver a speech, but he is supposed to address the problems in Georgia instead of bringing examples from other countries. I consider this a political and human mistake,” Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told Tert.am.

The expert said the Armenian Foreign Ministry has to give a mild rebuke to Saakashvili, who has several times before tried to resolve the problems in his country by citing Armenia as an example. 

“Deprived of power at home, he tries to create a worldwide image of a geopolitical figure or at least - a Transcaucasian leader,” he said.

In his speech at the General Assembly’s 68th ssession, Saakashvili slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Union plan, considering it an attempt ‘to reclaim bygone borders’.

“Armenia has been cornered, and forced to sign on to the Customs Union which is not in this nation’s interest or in the interest of our region, Moldova is being blockaded, Ukraine is under attack, Azerbaijan faces extraordinary pressure, and Georgia is occupied...Why? Because an old Empire is trying to reclaim its bygone borders. And ‘borders’ is actually not the right word, since this Empire - be it the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, or the Eurasian Union - never had borders. It only had margins. I came today to speak in the name of these margined,” said the Georgian leader.

The Armenian expert disagreed to Saakashvili’s remark that Russia has cornered Armenia. According to him, the real situation demonstrates the contrary process.

“In the process launched since September 3 [when President Serzh Sargsyan made the landmark statement about the Customs Union membership], Armenia is in the role of an equal partner, if not the dictating side. But it is possible to agree, to a certain extent, to the opinion that Russia will not let Armenia celebrate a decisive victory over Azerbaijan, or vice versa,” Melik-Shahnazaryan noted.

“Our tense relations with Azerbaijan are somewhat convenient to third states because without peace in the region, different geopolitical forces are given the chance of getting involved in the ongoing political processes.”

The political analyst Manvel Sargsyan also agreed to the remark. “Conflicts aim to create levers of influence,” he told our correspondent.

As for Saakashvili’s speech, he said it wasn’t absolutely surprising given that a number of countries seek very often to attribute the problems in and around Europe to Russia.

“This is a concept which is quite widespread. What we see in Russia is the opposite concept: they link all their grieves and concerns to Europe and the West. This concept is pursued by different countriies. The situation around the world is much more complicated, as a matter of fact as there are bigger problems which are never discussed.”

Sargsyan said it is very primitive to agree to Saakashvili’s remark that “an old Empire is trying to reclaim its bygone borders”. As for Armenia, he said the country has to have concepts of its own not to be “driven to a corner”.

“If it does not have a definite position and tries to gain advantages from different international hustles and bustles, it will be driven to one corner today and another tomorrow. Have the problems facing the country ever been raised in Armenia to make a decision-making possible? There is absolutely nothing of the kind; this is why they all the time look here and there, making the decision that matches the authorities’ interests at the given moment,” said the expert.