When I read the announcement made by the European Council’s monitoring committee, I was shocked and I actually said “damn it”. I used this phrase not only because I was amazed or mad, but because I was simply shocked, just like the teenager or young adult gets shocked when hearing that from his peers.
Now, after eight hours have passed since I read the newspaper while drinking my coffee-in other words one working day-I still can’t concentrate and continue writing this article. It’s just that I have always judged right from wrong ever since childhood.
I have been taught that ever since I was a little boy (or maybe I was trained, I don’t know) and I remember that I was reprimanded for not referring to items by their names. For example, when I was forced to blame the teacher for the low grade I got in school, they didn’t believe me and said: “It’s your fault”. Years later, I understood that no matter how bad of a mood the teacher is or how hard he or she tries to underestimate you, that teacher can’t do anything to you if you study well. The teacher might have screamed at you or hurt you when giving you the grade you deserved, but he or she couldn’t give you a bad grade when you gave her a complete answer.
There is no right or wrong in politics. Politics is all about shades. For example, gray may all of a sudden become dark white based on an announcement and chromo black later on. It all depends on what you want to say by that announcement. If you want to consider an election valid when there has been so much fraud, you say “yes, but…” if you don’t want to or have some reason to punish someone, you say “no, never”.
Taking into consideration the fact that Armenia’s constitutional amendments referendum did not really take place on November 27 of last year, the European Council did not say “yes, but” or “no, never”, but rather they came up with a conjecture solution so that it would be fair for both sides and so that European values will be kept alive. The European Council says “no, but”. The European Council says that although Armenia’s constitutional amendments referendum did not go as planned, however, since the Constitution is a good one they are okay with it. Basically, the European Council is saving us from losing our Constitution by sacrificing the most important thing for the council-the human right to vote fairly and free.
There were some people in Armenia who were predicting that this would happen. Those people didn’t have the chance to express their opinions during the referendum propaganda. The European Council knew this very well, but never did the council tell Armenia that there are alternatives to saying “yes” and they are “yes, but”, “yes, if” “if…then”. They didn’t say that because they knew it was useless.
The Palestinian elections were before the constitutional amendments referendum in Armenia and they were free and fair. The “HAMAS” terrorist political party won the election. This political party is not only against any kind of negotiation, but also it has a goal to wipe the Israeli state off the face of the earth. Since the elections were fair and transparent and since the Palestinians had voiced their opinions, the Europeans and Americans had to congratulate the “HAMAS” members, but here we recall the old Armenian saying: “Befriend the dog, but don’t let go of the leash.”
It turns out that the Europe walking without the stick is in favor of violating the right to vote for the sake of the law, while the Europe walking with the stick is giving “HAMAS” political party three months to get with the program by instilling its values.
Basically, there are two kinds of Europe and it’s interesting to know what it will do if the “good” Armenian Constitution, which wasn’t passed by the referendum, fails? Who is Europe going to punish-the authorities or the people that didn’t even wish to go out and vote? How is it going to punish-stop helping Armenia or just shutting the door in front of us?
It’s also interesting to know what Europe will do if the “HAMAS” political party still decides to continue its politics after three months? Who is it going to punish-the people who voiced their opinions or “HAMAS”, which was elected fairly? I think we can see that t6his means no more help from abroad.
The two sides of Europe say the same things. They say that elections have to be free, fair and transparent, but they also say that it doesn’t mean that each individual who knows how to vote can and must vote for whatever he or she wants.
Now, what kind of Europe are we going to integrate into? The one with human values and wants to unite nations together; or the one that makes other countries do as it says by force? If we are going to integrate into the first kind of Europe, then we have to reject the demands of the second one. If we don’t reject the second one, then there is no first.
It turns out that Europe is a myth, just like Armenia’s ancient Nairi. The only difference is that, whereas ancient Nairi no longer exists, Europe exists and doesn’t at the same time.