Armenia—Azerbaijan Conflict Aftermath: Discord in Armenia

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

I've always found it amusing that nearly any book you read on modern Persian history will bring up how much Persians love conspiracy theories.

Azerbaijan is actually Iran confirmed.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Also a restaurant in Yerevan refused to play music yesterday because [paraphrase of a translation] "of everything going on right now". This struck me as strange, since they still sold beer and food.

[CumbrianLefty]

If you were a participant in Eurovision you should be eligible EU membership (yes, even Australia).

Not sure if this actually needs stating, but Eurovision really isn't the same thing at all.

[Cassius]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

The United Turkic state will only reach full strength when the integral Turkic clay of… Hungary, is reunited with its sundered Turkic brethren!

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Walking home from the gym, I passed in front of a hotel that had news cameras and police officers. Suspecting something, I hung around. While initially some clearly "local" officials spoke to the cameras, the show was clearly not about them, and everyone hung around after they were done speaking. I started to note the many black SUVs in front of the hotel, as well as the clearly non-Armenian officials and security personnel. Meanwhile, the police officers kept calmly telling onlookers to step back. The hotel had Armenian, as well as Italian, American, and EU flags hung above the doorway, but none of the seemingly-relatively-common-in-Yerevan Russian Federation flags. In a flash, it happened--security shooed a small woman in a brown coat into an SUV. A woman in the audience somewhere behind me said to a friend, "We saw Nancy Pelosi but she didn't see us." A few seconds later, a tall, clearly Western man wity gray hair was whisked to another SUV along with a blonde, middle-aged female colleague or aide. I believe that man to be Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Congress and a member of the delegation accompanying Pelosi to Armenia. I did grab two shots of him, though they are not very clear.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

I've always found it amusing that nearly any book you read on modern Persian history will bring up how much Persians love conspiracy theories.

Azerbaijan is actually Iran confirmed.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Rumor is circulating about Azerbaijani jets awaiting Pelosi's departure, and of Israeli military aid shipments en route to Azerbaijan. I can validate none of this, of course.

[CumbrianLefty]

Rumor is circulating about Azerbaijani jets awaiting Pelosi's departure, and of Israeli military aid shipments en route to Azerbaijan. I can validate none of this, of course.

Now, why does this not surprise especially?

[All Along The Watchtower]

Yeah, Israel has long had good relations with Azerbaijan. Which makes sense, since Israel has also long had good relations with Turkey (Erdogan-era tensions notwithstanding).

It helps that Azerbaijan and Iran are adversaries, of course.  

[All Along The Watchtower]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

I've always found it amusing that nearly any book you read on modern Persian history will bring up how much Persians love conspiracy theories.

My neighbor is a 1979 refugee, and I have a memory of him  explaining to me, years ago, about how Khomeini was a long-time intelligence asset of the US, British, and French.

He also despises Trump as much as anybody, but had nothing but good things to say about the killing of Qassim Suleimani.

[Lechasseur]

https://www.euronews.com/2022/09/19/armenian-protesters-demand-their-country-leaves-moscow-led-military-alliance

There's been a protest in Yerevan demanding that Armenia leave the CSTO.

Frankly it should. If Russia won't protect Armenia, it has no reason to stay allied with it.

Armenia should get closer to the West.

[CumbrianLefty]

Another foreign policy triumph for Putin.

So much win!

[DavidB.]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support.

Two reasons: their massive diaspora + Armenia being Christian while Azerbaijan is not.

And there's also the issue that everyone arguing in favor of Azerbaijan will be accused of being paid by them - and that their government is widely seen as authoritarian while Armenia's is not (I'd say the difference is actually a matter of degrees, but I understand how Azerbaijan's optics don't do them favors).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support.

Two reasons: their massive diaspora + Armenia being Christian while Azerbaijan is not.

And there's also the issue that everyone arguing in favor of Azerbaijan will be accused of being paid by them - and that their government is widely seen as authoritarian while Armenia's is not (I'd say the difference is actually a matter of degrees, but I understand how Azerbaijan's optics don't do them favors).

There's also the little factoid that Azerbaijan is clearly the one loudly gunning for genocide right now...

[ingemann]

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support.

Two reasons: their massive diaspora + Armenia being Christian while Azerbaijan is not.

And there's also the issue that everyone arguing in favor of Azerbaijan will be accused of being paid by them - and that their government is widely seen as authoritarian while Armenia's is not (I'd say the difference is actually a matter of degrees, but I understand how Azerbaijan's optics don't do them favors).

There's also the little factoid that Azerbaijan is clearly the one loudly gunning for genocide right now...

Yes, being objective worse than your enemy always make your enemy’s PR a lot easier.

[Aurelius]

Not much to report on the ground (in Yerevan at least). Apparently, Nancy Pelosi is in town, and because of this, the streets were lined with American flags on Saturday. Last Wednesday a Russian volunteer and I were placed in the awkward position of being on a patio full of Armenians lamenting their lack of external support.

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

As referred to in a separate thread from a few days ago, there apparently have been people expressing the desire to see the sons of their politicians and oligarchs die in a military engagement, apparently a reaction against the fact that Azerbaijani casualties are working class.

Top English comment: "...their existence creates severe instability in the region. Turkey and Azerbaijan are closely related and relative countries. Without Armenia, there would be a close and unrivaled cooperation."

We're not the bad guys, I swear!

[DINGO Joe]

Apparently Armenia prepaid for some weapons from Russia and they're a little late in arriving

https://twitter.com/Tigartsakh/status/1575393573587111937

[Logical]

Major violence warning. Do not watch if you cannot handle extremely distressing content.
https://twitter.com/abrahamyan13/status/1576343443206721537

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

"Old" news, but Armenia buys weapons from India. #India2020

There was another protest at the Opera yesterday, but despite the loud megaphone, attendance appeared meager. Based on local sources (aka a random person on a language exchange app) it was an anti-CSTO demonstration.

[CumbrianLefty]

Major violence warning. Do not watch if you cannot handle extremely distressing content.
https://twitter.com/abrahamyan13/status/1576343443206721537

"This tweet violated the Twitter rules".

[Logical]

Major violence warning. Do not watch if you cannot handle extremely distressing content.
https://twitter.com/abrahamyan13/status/1576343443206721537

"This tweet violated the Twitter rules".

Half a dozen Armenian pows executed in cold bold isis style, this isn't the first nor the last video of war crimes to come out from September.
https://twitter.com/IntelDoge/status/1576362319398903808