Armen Sarkissian Unable to Integrate into New Political Elite

The newspaper "Pats" reports that the joint meeting of Armenia and Artsakh's security councils, held on March 12 in Stepanakert, would have been more impressive politically had it not been overshadowed by an internal governmental scandal. The genuinely historic meeting held in the capital of Artsakh aimed to demonstrate the unity of the two Armenian states and their people, and it would have been appropriate for Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian to participate, even though he is not a member of the Security Council.

In the days leading up to the meeting, the media expressed confusion over why the country's fourth president did not travel to Stepanakert, while the President of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, who is also not a member of the Council, was present.

The revolution’s team either did not invite Sarkissian to Artsakh due to the traditional chaos of the situation or because they do not consider him one of their own. In any case, this situation carries significant negative implications, as there is an evident deficit in state mentality.

After the media's questioning, it became clear that Armen Sarkissian had, indeed, been invited to the meeting on the evening before, just hours prior to the session. The President's office hurried to inform that Sarkissian was invited on the night of March 11 to attend the Security Council meeting on March 12 in Artsakh; however, due to technical reasons, the President did not travel to Stepanakert.

If the official announcement mentions the phrase “late evening,” it is apparent that Sarkissian deemed the manner of the invitation unacceptable and respectfully declined to attend Artsakh.

It is clear that the Security Council meeting is merely a pretext, and the disagreements between Nikol Pashinyan’s team and Sarkissian run deeper. Despite the fact that the President played an invaluable stabilizing role during the revolutionary period and the subsequent transitional phase, it is evident that over the past almost year, he has not been able to integrate into the new political elite that views anyone outside the ranks of the 'walkers' as an outsider or a competitor.

The revolutionary euphoria is retreating, inevitably leading to the loss of ratings for Nikol Pashinyan and his team, which further increases the envy directed at the internationally respected Armen Sarkissian. Meanwhile, state mentality required the revolutionary spirit of Pashinyan’s team to be combined with Sarkissian’s experience and international reputation. In that case, the state would only benefit; however, our elite does not always manage to curb group interests.

For further details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.