Armenia

Armenia
Location	Asia
Type	nation state
Member of	La Francophonie, UN
Subpage	•Armenia/Genocide
Small Eurasian nation; formerly part of the USSR

Armenia is a landlocked, mountainous country in the strategically situated Caucasus region. It has a tense and disputed border with neighbouring Azerbaijan, which has led to several wars after their independence from the USSR in the early 1990s.

The population is officially 2.9 million, but several hundred thousands of these have emigrated over the last few decades, most for good.

History

Armenia was a part of the Soviet Union.

2018 Regime Change

Traditionally close to Russia, the country experienced a regime change, after anti-government protests from April to May 2018 staged by various NGOs and led by a member of the Armenian parliament, against Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. Nikol Pashinyan became the new PM, and soon alligned the country closer to the United States. Since he came to power his anti-Russian actions included almost totally eliminating any Armenian participation on the CSTO, completely ceasing any collaboration with Russia (including in the intelligence and security domains), purging the Armenian military and security forces from all the supposed “pro-Russian” elements, and banned Russian language schools.

Gigantic US Embassy

There are 2000 American diplomats in Armenia,^[When?] one for every 1200 citizens of the host country. (for comparison, the Russian embassy before 2018 had 60 diplomats).

The American expert Daniel Gaynor, who is an employee of the Truman Center for National Policy in New York, explained why:

 “The best explanation is a real estate mantra: location, location, location. Armenia, a landlocked country with just 3 million people, might be in the roughest neighborhood in the world. But in America’s eyes, it might be in the most important position of any U.S. ally to advance President Obama’s foreign policy agenda. What Armenia lacks in natural resources – it has little oil, gas or jewels – it makes up for in geography. Few countries are in better position to shape U.S. foreign policy than Armenia. Armenia borders Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran. As a part of the former Soviet Union, it relies on nearby Russia extensively for trade and military backing. The U.S. has a significant stake in all five countries, and Armenia is now coming into view as a potentially potent lever to advance American aims.”

A number of local NGOs helps the US expand its influence network in the republic. The total number of these “non-governmental organisations” in the small republic reads off scale: according to the data of the national statistical service of Armenia, there are more than 200. The US allocates almost $250 million annually for their activity. The work of the Armenian NGO is being coordinated by the American Embassy and such structures as USAID, NED, and the Open Society Foundation. in addition, radio-reconnaissance aimed at the border and nearby states – Turkey, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, etc – is being carried out from the new ambassadorial complex in Yerevan.

Nagorno-Karabakh

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, both Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence, and Nagorno-Karabakh became a focal point of conflict. The region's Armenian population sought to break away from Azerbaijan and unite with Armenia, leading to a conflict from February 1988 to May 1994 (full-scale war from 1992 on).

Resources

The website narcokarabakh.net writes:

In May 1968, an official report addressed to the government of Azerbaijan and produced by respected Soviet geologist Arsen Tsaturov had outlined expansive deposits of gold, silver, copper, cobalt, chrome, lithium, beryllium, barite, pyrite, aluminium and more across Nagorno-Karabakh.

2020 / 2023 war against Azerbaijan

In 2020, the country lost a war against Azerbaijan. As part of the Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, Russian "peacekeeping troops" controlled two vital strategic transport arteries to enclaves for both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijani officials, since the mid 2000s, made clear statements to the effect that they were preparing for another war. In September 2023 Azerbaijan started a new military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, demanding the complete withdrawal of ethnic Armenian troops from the area and the dissolution of the de facto government.

Resource extraction

Azerbaijan at the end of 2022 accused Russia of extracting gold from the disputed territory (Nagorno-Karabakh) using it's peacekeeping presence to further the process.

 

Related Quotation

Page	Quote	Author	Date
Nigel Gould-Davies	“For Azerbaijan, [the reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh] is a total victory won by the cruel, hard methods of military force and economic blockade, together with training and equipment from Turkey....But the key question is how relations between the west and Azerbaijan will develop. The west's energy ties with the oil and gas-rich country are more important than ever as it weans itself off Russian supplies. Now there are new security possibilities, especially in light of the war in Ukraine. Azerbaijan is the only country that borders both Russia and Iran, two western adversaries whose ever-closer relations evoke growing alarm. Azerbaijan’s ties with Turkey, a Nato member that also provides weapons support to Ukraine, means that it is receiving military training according to the alliance's standards. All this offers the potential for a deeper relationship, if the west has the strategic imagination to grasp it.”	Nigel Gould-Davies	5 October 2023

 

Event

Event
Armenia/Genocide

 

Groups Headquartered Here

Group	Start	Description
Armenian National Academy of Sciences	10 November 1943	The primary scientific body in Armenia
Yerevan State University	1919	Informally known as Armenia's "mother university"

 

A citizen of Armenia on Wikispooks

Title	Born	Died	Description
Rita Sargsyan	6 March 1962	20 November 2020	The First Lady of Armenia reportedly died from COVID in November 2020.

 

Related Documents

Title	Type	Publication date	Author(s)	Description
Document:Institute for Statecraft Production timetable March-June 2016	list of Armenians suspected of being Russian propagandists	26 December 2018	Integrity Initiative
Document:Russian-propagandist	name list	26 December 2018	Integrity Initiative	List of Armenians accused of being Russian propagandists
Document:Suspected Propagandists	list of Armenians suspected of being Russian propagandists	26 December 2018	Integrity Initiative

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.