From: arto@leland.Stanford.EDU (Artavazd Khachikian)
Subject: Back to RUSSIAN politics
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 19:08:47 GMT

	I am grateful for the comments and opinions on the subject
of the Russian presence in the Caucasus and Russian internal politics.
The information I received was very helpful.

	In regards to the Russian-Armenian relations, 
I want to inform you that the current Armenian leadership attributes
exceptional importance to that domain. It was repeatedly 
acknowledged by Armenian political analysts that Russia
should be the core of Armenian foreign policy. A leader
of an Armenian Parliamentary delegation to Moscow Mr. Areshian
stated recently upon his return from Moscow: "We have to understand
the special importance of Russia for our Republic. We have to work in such
a way as to make Armenia equally important for Russia".

	In the recent couple of months, dozens of Armenian delegations
have been dispatched to Moscow, a number of important agreements were
signed, including the one on economic cooperation, coordination
of the foreign policy etc. The President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosian
met with the Russian President Boris Eltsin a number of times
recently and there seem to exist a constructive relationship between the two
leaders. All of this to my complete satisfaction.

	Most importantly, the Armenian leadership signed a security
pact with Russia first thing after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The importance of that pact surfaced itself in the spring of this year,
when Russian intervention stopped the Turkish Armies on Armenian frontieres.

I would not like to go into the Turkish part of the problem right now,
because the risk of quickly being dragged into Argic-Mutlu-2 soap opera
is present. I will only limit myself to stating that from Bulgaria to
Greece, from Serbia to Montenegro, from Armenia to Georgia and Albania,
the historical memory preserved the image of the Russian soldier-liberator,
who's appearance in the region meant that the threat of physical
extermination and endless suffering, mass conversions to Islam
and massacres, taking away the children to the Janissary troops,
hanging patriarches on the gates, many other strange habits were
no more for those who had the fortune of being placed on the way
of the Turskih invasion of Asia Minor in the early Middle Ages.

I invite those who disagree to go to Bulgaria, to the monument of Shipka,
or to Armenia, to the monument of the 1915 Genocide and to the monument
to the Russian soldiers etc. As for Armenians, I want to quote
Khachatur Abovian, the founder of the modern Armenian literature,
who exclaimed on the day of Russian liberation
of Eastern Armenia: God bless the day when the Russian foot stepped
on our soil".

The tradition of Russian-Armenian ties includes many famous names:
Peter the Great, General Suvoroff, the Dekabrists, Griboedov,
many others, to say nothing about the immense cultural tradition. 

	Once again, I am not interested in being dragged into another
Turkish soap opera. I do not propagate anti-Turkish aspirations,
I do see a future for cooperation with Turkey as an important power
in the region. But right now my interests are with the Russian policy
in the Caucasus.

	I am grateful to those who shared their views on this issue.
I hope that this exchange will continue. Lates news: Dudaev proclaimed
a state of emergency in the western part of Chechnia, despite Russian
assurances that Russian troops will stay away from the republic.

	Let us continue this discussion. I would be grateful if its
participants will refrain from historical revisions, century-old
conlicts etc. Let us talk about the present. In fact, it might me more exciting
then the past.
Newsgroups: talk.politics.cis,talk.politics.soviet