Interview by Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
In Yerevan a protest action took place in front of the Russian embassy. Its participants are dissatisfied with the incarceration conditions of Grachya Arutyunyan, who is accused of a traffic accident near Podolsk, in which 18 people died. They demanded respect for the accused, who appeared in the court dressed in a woman's nightgown (the only clothes which doctors could find) and suggested that the Russian ambassador Ivan Volynkin wear a nightgown and leave Armenia.
Vestnik Kavkaza asked Armenian political scientist David Petrosyan to comment on the situation.
- The traffic accident in Novaya Moscow caused a protest action. What is the reason for the tension between Moscow and Yerevan?
- Three aspects of Armenian-Russian relations appeared almost at one and the same time. First of all, there is the increase in gas prices. Officially the new price was adopted on July 7th, while the talks took a lot of time, and in reality the gas price was increased earlier, but the Armenian authorities hid this for political reasons, i.e. because of the elections. The deal on increasing gas prices, as always, was semi-transparent, i.e. society wasn’t informed in advance; moreover, top officials stated ahead of the elections that it wasn’t true.
Secondly, a commercial deal for a billion dollars on selling Russian arms was signed between Moscow and Baku.
Thirdly, while public opinion still hadn’t recovered from the deals mentioned, a traffic accident with 18 victims took place, and the only guilty person was recognized driver Gracya Arutynyan; and the Russian online media emphasized his nationality.
- How can protests in Yerevan influence the relations between our countries? For example, some social activists state that the Russian ambassador should be removed from Armenia.
- The first reports in the Russian mass media, especially in Olga Sabeyev’s reports, emphasised the nationality of the driver, but that wasn’t what stirred up the Armenian society. The society was indignant that the driver was taken to the court in a woman's nightgown. It was considered mockery. Remembering the emphasis on his nationality, it was considered mockery of all Armenians, i.e. Armenia perceived it as a clear anti-Armenian trend. Granted the deals mentioned, it led to protests in front of the Russian embassy.
The statement on removing the Russian ambassador from Yerevan was made by irresponsible people. But there were no such statements at the demonstration. The statement won’t lead to any problems because it was voiced by unserious people.
In fact a painful thing has happened, but it has happened because the Russian state structures are not interested in public opinion in Armenia. The Armenian authorities are not interested in public opinion either. Both the Russian and Armenian authorities think that Armenian-Russian relations are relations between leaderships. However, these relations are first of all between societies.
- What should be done to take the heat off?
- First of all, we should calm down and analyze the situation. There are no completely independent mass media or television either in Russia or in Armenia, and their policy is determined by the state. So, they should meet and mutually determine the policy, as they think Russian-Armenian relations are between the authorities only.
