'Let them bang their heads against the wall': Armenia’s government reacts to proposal to join Russia’s Union State
Proposal to join the Union State
“We must join the Union State. I don’t know what they will call it now, but it should be like the Soviet Union,” former Nagorno-Karabakh security council secretary Vitaly Balasanyan told journalists.
Representatives of Armenia’s ruling party, independent experts and many social media users reacted angrily to the proposal to join the Union State with Russia and Belarus. However, opposition political forces that plan to take part in the parliamentary elections in June did not criticise the idea.
Balasanyan himself did not say whether he will take part in the elections. The former Karabakh official has so far only expressed support for Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. The dollar billionaire leads the Strong Armenia party and remains under house arrest for calls to seize power.
The ruling Civil Contract party voiced the harshest reaction to the proposal to join the Union State.
Parliament deputy speaker Ruben Rubinyan said Balasanyan “surrendered Karabakh and fled to Armenia”. He also said Balasanyan now acts together with a Russian oligarch.
“Let them bang their heads against the wall. People like Balasanyan will not see Armenia lose its independence. They will not get it, not in a million years. We will not allow it. On 7 June we must send all forces acting against Armenia’s independence to hell or anywhere else they choose,” he said.
Russia and Belarus signed the treaty establishing the Union State in 1999. The agreement предусматривает deeper political, economic and military integration between the two countries. As a member of the Union State, Belarus transferred part of its sovereign powers to the union’s institutions. This move limited its ability to make independent decisions on foreign policy and security.
Details of what Vitaly Balasanyan said, how the ruling party and opposition forces reacted to his statement, as well as comments from political analysts and reactions from social media users.
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Why Balasanyan made the proposal
The former Karabakh official, whose views many people in society used to listen to, told Armenian journalists that the political map of the world will change in the near future.
“Those who quickly understand their place and significance, and recognise their role in the new world order, will survive.”
Vitaly Balasanyan proposed joining the Union State in this context.
He also touched on the upcoming elections. He called it a “disgrace” that both the ruling party and the opposition focus on election campaigning despite the tense situation in the region.
“I strongly doubt that elections will take place here. The international situation in general and in our region is catastrophic and extremely complex. They talk about peace, but right now no document has any real force.”
Reaction from the ruling party: ‘Do you want to put the state up for auction?’
Hayk Konjoryan, head of the ruling Civil Contract parliamentary faction, also responded to Balasanyan’s proposal.
“You pickpockets want to join the Union State? Have you completely lost your minds? You moved to Armenia and now present yourselves as Trojan horses? Do you want to sacrifice this state as well?”
Konjoryan said Balasanyan and other opposition figures feel “eaten away” by the fact that peace has taken hold in Armenia and Armenian young men no longer die in war.
“You moneylenders want to sell this state for a couple of coins and throw the fate of the people at the feet of others like a coin. Is that what you want? The sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia is not for sale. And your defeat in the 7 June elections is inevitable.”
‘They mislead society,’ opposition figures say
The Strong Armenia party, led by Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, did not comment on Balasanyan’s statement. The Prosperous Armenia party, headed by local oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan, also refrained from comment.
Hayk Mamijanyan, head of the I Have Honour parliamentary faction and a member of former president Serzh Sargsyan’s party, refused to discuss the proposal. He only repeated the position of the Republican Party: “Armenia’s sovereignty cannot be a subject of bargaining.”
MP Agnesa Khamoyan from the Armenia bloc, led by former president Robert Kocharyan, stressed that joining the Union State does not form part of their agenda. However, she also avoided criticising Balasanyan’s statement. Moreover, she said the authorities mislead society when they claim that Armenia would inevitably join the Union State if Robert Kocharyan returned to power.
“If such a desire existed, Kocharyan would have implemented it during his ten years as president,” she said.
Meanwhile, at a press conference in 2021, former president Robert Kocharyan said Armenia should discuss the possibility of joining the Union State. He said that “from a security perspective, we may need to become part of a larger union.”
Expert commentaries
Political analyst Robert Ghevondyan said:
“Many of us in Armenia felt rightly outraged by the opinion of former Artsakh military commander and official Vitaly Balasanyan about joining the Union State.
But if you listen carefully, he literally says: ‘We must be part of the union.’ As we have long understood, ‘they’ — Balasanyans, Tevanyans, Ulikhanyans, Babukhanyans [he lists the surnames of pro-Russian opposition figures] and others — have nothing to do with Armenia or Armenians.
So let it be their business. Let them belong to whatever union they want — as long as it is far away from Armenia and from us. Once you arrive there, don’t call.”
Political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan said:
“In fact, we should thank Vitaly Balasanyan because he openly and honestly says what their group wants. Others try to disguise the same position with ‘politology’ and other nonsense. They even pretend to show concern for the people.
As the classic phrase goes: ‘He couldn’t withstand the confrontation and sold everyone out, the scoundrel.’ Kiriyenko [the Kremlin official who oversees relations with Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia] will surely order someone to silence Vitaly Balasanyan so that he does not say too much. In the meantime, he should speak as much as possible.”
Comments from social media
Vitaly Balasanyan’s statement about joining the Union State sparked a strong reaction in society. Some social media users even called on the National Security Service to respond to the statement. One comment read: “Remove this agent.”
Below are some of the most typical reactions from social media:
“Who are you to speak on behalf of the Armenian people? You fool, do you want Armenia to suffer the same fate as Artsakh?”
“I don’t understand — does Vitaly have permission to say anything? He makes anti-Armenian statements. Send him to the place where the mayor of Gyumri is now [Vardan Ghukasyan has been arrested; he also previously spoke in favour of joining the Union State].”
“And people like this still talk about Armenia’s security and its future.”
“The Karabakh clan is banging its head against the wall. Let them leave Armenia and go to their homeland — Russia. Let them wash Putin’s feet and drink that water.”
“Who are you to express your opinion and point the direction? This is exactly how you led Artsakh to disaster. If you want, go and join that union state and live there quietly without showing yourself. We are not holding you here. Shame on you and people like you!”
“And such dogs, who do not understand what a state is, wander around the country. Tomorrow they will even nominate themselves for elections. Arrest these Bolsheviks already. People like this should have been rotting in prison long ago.”
Proposal to join the Union State
