The events on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow did not create a sensation in Armenia. In recent years Russia has witnessed a growth of nationalistic sentiment, accompanied by crimes committed on nationalist grounds.
In Armenia, hopes that Russia's leaders would eliminate displays of nationalist intolerance gradually gave way to resentment, then to disbelief, and finally to a sense of hopelessness. Maybe that's why Armenia was not surprised by the events on Manezhnaya Square.
Some experts in Armenia believe that the increasingly deepening trend based on distinguishing people as Slavs or non-Slavs and often between Slavs and Caucasians, may lead to a rejection of Russia by the Caucasus. Others, on the contrary, are confident that this will not happen.
According to research, conducted with the support of the OSCE representative office in Yerevan on labor emigration in Armenia, 65% of emigrants chose Russia as their place of residence and do not plan to come back. However, it is obvious that crimes committed on a national basis may lead to a weakening of the authority of Russia in Armenia, as well as its influence on the socio-political and cultural spheres.
What must be done?
The Russian authorities should ensure the transparency of their actions in the struggle against Fascism. And Russian society needs this first of all, in order to deliver it from the influence of groups disseminating hatred and thus causing harm to the interests of their own country.
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan, exclusively for ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’
