Since the recent appointments in the government and president’s office it is not clear yet who is ruling the real power and how this multi-color coalition and the state system will work. However, it is a fact that the governmental new “configuration” will include both the loyalists of the former president, the incumbent president’s old friends and the implementers of the third generation reformations. As always, the interests of different geopolitical centers have not been ignored either, including the interests of some politicians who are loyal to other powers and also representatives of clan and oligarchic groups and coalition parties…
The process of building the new government and the nuances of the political and geopolitical processes have left some changes in the president’s office under shadow. Certainly, we don’t mean the general changes in the president’s office within the concept of forming the new team. In conditions of different political and geopolitical small changes, specifically in conditions of the changes after the new president was elected the appointments of the president’s adviser and referent could seem a minor thing. However, it is a strange fact that the new president, who is considered to be a pro-Russian politician, has appointed both the former leader of MIAK party Levon Martirosyan and the existing leader of this party Samvel Farmanyan in high positions. While some people (especially the RPA members) are jealous with this strange promotion and success of this new and young party, the external results of Serzh Sargsyan’s staff recruitment policy may be quite surprising. The problem is that this political party, which appeared in the political field of Armenia one year ago, is considered to be “a classical British project.” Most of the leaders of this party are young people, who have been educated in the United States and Great Britain. Some of those people used their British knowledge and education in their country and worked for different international organizations in Armenia, non-governmental organizations financed by other countries, international programs implementation offices, etc. From this point of view the hints and gestures of some Armenian political powers and other powers from abroad concerning the relations of the mentioned party with some “competent” British organizations (however, there are no facts yet). Also, it is said that this party is in good relations with RA former prime-minister and former Ambassador of Armenia to the Great Britain Armen Sargsyan, who is living in London now. Armen Sargsyan, who is heading the Eurasia center of the Cambridge university, is an adviser to the BP and Alactel companies and also is the director of the Night Bridge holding, has been alleged to be the “godfather” of the MIAK party, however that allegation was refuted by the following definition: “Recently some people expressed opinions that the MIAK political party has been “established” by Armen Sargsyan in order to “influence on politics” or “support the government regime”. It is slandering. It is offending the Armenian young specialists and leaders even to suspect that they may be robots planned and used by one person or a group of persons only. Why do some people in Armenia think that the young specialists who have got excellent education in the best educational institutions of the world are not able to think and make a choice independently?” It is worth mentioning that the strong business, personal and political relations of Armen Sargsyan in the Great Britain and powerful international financial institutions (specifically, the Reconstruction and Development Bank of Europe) are a reason why any projects initiated by him (even economic projects) are also viewed from the point of view of “the regional interests of the Great Britain.” It is worth mentioning that despite the fact that the institutions led by Armen Sargsyan are periodically refuting the mentioned rumors that the ex-PM has been connected with the political processes of Armenia, they also say that “During the past years Armen Sargsyan has helped many talented young Armenians to study in the Great Britain, Europe, Russia and US.” According to the statement of the Eurasia House, “most of the mentioned students are now working in different fields in Armenia”, including in the political field in both pro-government and opposition institutions. “Most of the young professionals who graduated from the most famous universities due to the projects supported or led by Armen Sargsyan are working in different fields in Armenia now, including in the civic sector, international organizations and the government. Many of them have founded non-governmental organizations,” writes the mentioned statement of the Eurasia House International. It is clear that “Armen Sargsyan cannot be responsible for the political attitudes of such people.” It is an issue of an in-depth research to find out whether the purpose of the ex-prime minister’s support to young Armenians to get good education is mere “benevolence” or no. However, it is not excluded that the reason why the hopes of some people to see him in the prime-minister’s position again did not come true may be the active efforts of Armen Sargsyan to bring up a new educated political elite in Armenia in these conditions of tense relationship between Russia and the Great Britain. It doesn’t mean that Armen Sargsyan is not able to influence on the political processes in Armenia. Furthermore, the political situation in Armenia and some appointments show that his positions have been strengthened in the political processes in Armenia. It is a fact that the slogan of the new regime to “implement reformations of the second generation” has been spoken by the MIAK party first before the parliamentary race. Besides that, the “young reformеrs” are getting higher positions. It is very interesting that Serzh Sargsyan, who is considered to be a pro-Russian politician, has promoted not only Levon Martisoryan during the past one year, but also Samvel Farmanyan, who is one of the leaders of the MIAK party and used to be a LS member before that, and who definitely will be appointed the in the position of the president’s speaker soon.
It is not so hard to assume that the geopolitical attitudes of another new factor in the president’s office, Artur Baghdasaryan, who is the new security secretary, are not so clear either. By the way, it is unclear both inside the country and out of it, i.e. in the country which is considered to be our strategic ally. Unlike the Armenian authorities hardly Russia may have forgotten the diplomatic scandal with the British diplomatic mission and Artur Baghdasaryan. The hero of the mentioned scandal with a British diplomat is Artur Baghdasaryan, who was qualified as a betrayer of the state (some others say France as well) by ex-president Kocharyan. It is clear that our ally does not like the fact that a person, who is in good relations with Boris Berezovski and some institutions under his umbrella, has been appointed in a high rank position in charge of state security and confidential affairs. Furthermore, this “British eye” in the president’s office has confused our internal and external partners as well. In such conditions it is not by chance that there are rumors that there have been some cases of sabotage inside the incumbent regime. Now there are more reasons for the Russians to worry about the implementation of a number of projects aimed at forming new political elite in Armenia. For instance, according to the research of the Gallup, only 30% of the surveyed Armenians have said that they like the policy of the Russian government. About 62% of the Armenian citizens don’t like the Russian policy. It is worth mentioning that the image of Russia is lower in countries which have conflicting relations with it and in Georgia (22%), which has changed its political elite already.