Political Power in Armenia Has Failed to Properly Perform Its Functions Unlike the Army: Vanetsyan

168.am has published an interview with Artur Vanetsyan, president of the 'Homeland' party.

Mr. Vanetsyan, do you have any initial assessments regarding the recent border tensions?

It is still early for even preliminary assessments. I will simply reaffirm the evaluations I have voiced before, that we have brilliant generals and officers, a mobile and combat-ready army that has successfully resolved the challenges it faced. Today's army is the result of three decades of hard work by many individuals. Military dynasties with top education, high preparedness, and exceptional patriotism and spirit have already formed in our country. Only those who have been in the combat zone and undergone military service will understand this. This is the spirit of a victorious army.

Regrettably, I cannot say the same about our state's achievements in the diplomatic sphere. We have 'half-statements' from the international community and partner states that equate the aggressor Azerbaijan with Armenia in all directions. Meanwhile, we are dealing with a unique situation wherein the enemy has launched an attack on a scale unseen in thirty years, not just against Artsakh but specifically against the state borders of the Republic of Armenia. This should have been an opportunity for the international community to present and explain with solid arguments that Azerbaijan represents a threat not only to the peaceful population of Artsakh and Armenia but to the entire region as well.

Yet, just recently, the Bureau of Non-Aligned States, comprising 120 countries, issued an anti-Armenian statement, which further verifies that the political power of Armenia, unlike its army, has failed to perform its functions properly. I also want to emphasize that I am impressed by the unity and solidarity of our people; in the past days, we all witnessed how Armenians became a united front against the enemy, while the opposition in Armenia, during times of external danger, has rallied around the state, all the while continuing to be targeted by various state officials implementing the functions of pro-government figures, who, instead of addressing external threats, were busy searching for enemies within the country and other shallow discussions.

In recent days, we have seen several threats to national security, from the leakage of personal data of our soldiers to cyberattacks against state websites, SMS messages instilling panic among the population, and so on. Why did the system fail to this extent? We will have time to analyze why the system faltered. You only listed the visible side of the failures, which is just a small part of the complete picture. The reason for the shortcomings is more than apparent. To have a subservient National Security Service (NSS), Nikol Pashinyan dismantled a system that had been established over the years and created a situation where professionals and officers with biographies began to leave the area; this is why we have this image. Of course, there are still many professional staff in the NSS today; all are my former colleagues and current friends and carry the system on their shoulders, but when an alien and uninformed 'head is transplanted' onto a healthy and functioning organism, it always ends up like this—especially in closed, hierarchical systems like the NSS.

Overall, the events in Tavush once again proved that security is Armenia's number one priority, and we have a huge amount of work to do in this direction. I want to emphasize that the concept of security is not limited to the combat readiness of the armed forces. National security is ensured through competent, targeted, ongoing, and consistent work in several areas. In these matters, we cannot afford to be mistaken. Furthermore, sincere and trustworthy relationships with allies are one of the most crucial factors.

And unfortunately, I see that mistakes have been made in this and several other areas. It is unacceptable to place the entire burden of security on the army alone. When the government makes mistakes in other sectors of work, the burden on the army increases significantly.

When you mention allies, do you mean the existing tensions in Armenian-Russian relations?

Not only. From the internal public sentiment to economic policy, we have serious issues. From campaigns to discredit generals and the military command to reckless statements about starting negotiations from scratch. Uncalculated statements from within that concern not just us but the interests of our friendly countries.

From directives for criminal cases to campaigns against political opponents. From removing numerous competent and experienced personnel from the public sector to filling the state apparatus with ineffective new staff. Regarding Armenian-Russian relations, groups working against those relations have notably intensified in Armenia. As a leader of a political party and a former NSS general, I believe these forces serve the interests of other states. Armenia has no interest in the deterioration of Armenian-Russian relations. Likewise, Russia does not.

It is very important that such attempts and trends receive a strong public response. The maturity of political forces and society is a crucial factor for deterring and neutralizing the fifth column.

Recently, a new national security strategy was published. Can you share your thoughts on this important document?

I am probably one of the few who has studied this document in detail. And my clear assessment is this: it cannot be called a National Security Strategy in terms of quality. This document shows the tragic distance from reality that the current authorities of Armenia find themselves in.

A more detailed, objective analysis of the document will be conducted under calmer conditions. Now, when there are military operations at the border, is not the appropriate time for that. But it is an essential document, and it cannot be so deficient and filled with ambiguities. The document titled National Security Strategy resembled Prime Minister Pashinyan's speech in Stepanakert in 2019 about achievements in 2050—simplistic, lacking clarity, without calculations, and without risk assessments. Reality demands a completely different seriousness and a different quality of approach.

Many such examples can be cited, and sadly, in its overall quality, it corresponds to the quality of the current government.

From the perspective of risk evaluation, what dangers do you see?

I do not find it appropriate to continuously transmit negative moods to the public, presenting dangers and risks. I see it as my responsibility to propose solutions. Both the 'Homeland' Foundation, which is engaged in expert analysis and program development, and the 'Homeland' party, which is involved in active politics, are tasked with presenting solutions to our community. To create a roadmap for joint actions with other political forces.

The foundation of all this is to keep the country away from adventure, significantly increase the level of security, develop a new economic policy, and mobilize all our internal resources to confront challenges and guide the country toward breakthrough development. For peace to be present, noticeable development and strengthening of the state is imperative. Regardless of the political situation and the seriousness of the political power, the army will perform and is performing its job, there is no doubt about that, but strategic issues lie within the political realm. The seriousness of Armenia's internal and foreign policy is an urgent necessity.