In September 2021, I conducted a travelling investigation expedition throughout the territory of present-day Armenia. We had dry local pilots, profoundly engaged in the current affairs of their country, reserve officers and veterans of respective wars with the Azera.
Armenia was never an exotic land to me. Much of my mother's household was Armenian. Of course, for many generations she considered herself Polish and utilized Polish. No wonder – this household lived for respective centuries in the lost Polish city of Lviv. So I reached Armenians through the constant memory of Lviv. So much for admission. After returning from this expedition in 2022 and 2024 I gave lectures in Warsaw on the legacy of historical Armenia and its contemporary problems. I besides taught this content in 2023 and 2024 in Przemyśl. They met with a lively interest of listeners from different backgrounds. These lectures were based not only on the autopsies and many conversations conducted during the 2021 journey, but besides on the rich literature, not only devoted to the past of the country, but above all to current issues. This writing is mainly aimed at the French. There are besides English and American publications. Poles besides write, erstwhile more about history, now more about geopolitics.
An excellent introduction to this article is the opinion Maciej Falkowski, not long ago an worker of the Polish embassy in Yerevan, who in 2022 published a large book summarizing observations and assessments of modern Armenia [1]. The author perfectly represents the mentality and doctrine that I have described many times in these pages as global. I believe that specified people are recruited for the diplomatic service, due to the fact that they warrant "progressive" thinking. Mr. Falkowski has expressed his irritation respective times in various contexts that the Armenians inactive want to be... a separate nation in a sovereign country and exclusively in their own country. What is simply a average and healthy phenomenon, for ideologists of globalism is simply a clever attitude. The author is besides afraid that the Armenians are so attached to the lands in which they lived for centuries and were driven out of violence. On the contrary, this attitude of Armenians gives respect, pride and recognition. Today's Armenians inactive want independence. They want to preserve national culture, religion, tradition. They don't want to melt in a cosmopolitan composition. They do not want to be another quasi-imperium of various Soros [2]. They besides defend the area of historical settlement. From the point of view of the so-called. The West of ideology is an annoying and reprehensible phenomenon.
So to shed more light on Armenia's present day, let us remind history. Despite many shocks, disasters and breakdowns, Armenia survived the most prosperous times in ancient times and the mediate Ages. The Armenian people as a separate ethnic-language entity developed in the 6th century BC. During this time, Slavs did not influence the audience of history, and the concept of Poland (the country of Polan) was created 16 centuries later! This is the shocking span of the improvement cycle between Armenia and Poland. Armenians are inactive an ancient nation. At the dawn of their own history, they survived many abroad reigns: Media 590-546, Persia 546-331, the empire of Alexander the large (the last 4th of the 4th century BC, the Hellenist Seleucid dynasty (the 3rd century BC). The first native dynasty of the Artashessids prevailed in the years around 200-15 after Chr. Her most prominent King Tigranes II large 95-55 ruled over the large area of Asia ahead of the Caucasus and Anatolia to the advanced Mesopotamia and Syria. It was the apogee of Armenian territorial expansion. Another dynastiest of the Party's Arsacid origin (15-389/428) ruled a smaller territory but inactive respective times larger than current Armenia. Their state, drawing cultural, artistic and spiritual excitement from Greek, Roman and Persian civilization, was in the ticks of 2 powers- the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire. Roman and Persian influences prevailed, but independency was saved. In the beginning of the 4th century, King Tirydates III decided to be baptized and declare the Christian religion reigning. The mission was undertaken by Grzegorz, shortly called the Enlightener, from the Armenian aristocracy, shortly canonized and now recognized as the holy patron of the nation and state.
At the beginning of the 5th century. St. Mesrop Mastoc developed the Armenian alphabet, adapted to the language properties. This ancient language, the graver, has so far been utilized in liturgy. The Armenian Church rejected the decrees of the 4th Council in Chalcedon (451) and remained with a average expression of monophysitism. All these events have forever formed the prominent distinctness of Armenia in the field of spiritual culture, writing, and the separate Apostolic Church (also called Gregorian Church) was the core of national identity. In all their failures, the Armenians never let their tongue and religion be taken away. Meanwhile, major political and war defeats came. From 387 until the end of the 7th century, the western part of Armenia was ruled by the East-Roman Empire (Bizantian). It tried not to impose an authoritative orthodox confession on the Armenians. east Armenia was conquered by the Persians (Sasanid dynasty) from 428 to 652, who brutally but besides futilely tried to force Armenians to accept their religion of masdeism (Zaratustra). The Armenians experienced spiritual persecution and lived in political oppression, but did not give up. From the mediate of the 7th century the Arabs came (Caliphate of Omajads, from the mediate of the 8th century Abbasids) and the opposition of Islam began. Despite many casualties, the Armenians did not succumb to this force either.
In the 9th century, there was a successful independency spur. From 885 to 1045 a large area inhabited by Armenians (until east Anatolia) ruled the native dynasty of Bagratids. The state was sovereign. The end of this kingdom was the invasions of the Turk Seljuks. The last Armenian territory principalities fall in 1166 (Sjunik) and 1192 (Tachin). Armenian settlers are inactive in small Armenia in the erstwhile Byzantine Cilicia (prince of 1080-1198, kingdom of 1198-1375). The disappearance of the crusade and the defeat of the Latin states in Palestine and Syria takes all hope from the Armenians. In the 13th century, the lands of the Armenians were ravaged by Seljucy and Mongols. respective provinces (including the Arcs – the future Karabach) proceed thanks to the protection of the kings of Georgia (XIII-XIV centuries).
It should be added that between the 7th and 13th centuries, the most magnificent buildings of Armenian architecture are being built - churches, monasteries, cathedrals, fortresses. There are wonderful decorative sculptures and wonderfully illuminated manuscripts. Theological monastic schools are being created, the literature recorded in the grave is flourishing.
And then it's over and a long, hard night. In the era erstwhile Poland is increasing up as a power in Central and east Europe, Armenia is dying out. In the 15th century, the Turkmen oppress her. Since the 16th century, it has been torn apart by 2 rivals: Sunni Ottoman Turkey and Shiite Persia. The second uses in the 1st half of the 17th century for war safety the mass displacement of Armenians into its own state. The cities and villages in the Caucasus are depopulating. Convents and churches are ruined. It's a waste of colleges. Erudite works are disappearing.
However, the worst will come in the 19th and early 20th centuries. On the 1 hand, Russia receives Persia after the victorious war (until 1828) of the territory of present Armenia. Periods of tolerance for the Apostolic Armenian Church, national education, separate cultural institutions coincide with periods of harassment: attempts at rusification, the imposition of Orthodoxy, the extermination of Armenian associations. Nevertheless, under Russian rule, the Armenian people continue, establish educational, charitable, economical and technological institutions, and hold the hope of rebirth at least at the level of autonomy (until 1917 they never got- lived in unified gubernial structures).
Within the Ottoman Turkey there were 2/3 Armenians, a large part for many centuries in the dense area of east Anatolia. The first hopes in the alleged period of tanzimate (reform) for self-government, cultural autonomy, the improvement of education in the national language seemed rather real, all the more so due to the fact that in Port from the beginning (XV c.) the patriarch of the Armenian Church in Istanbul as the ruler of the "millet" (nation) of Armenian besides exercised legal care over schools and charitable institutions. In the last 4th of the 19th century, however, hope gave way to marasm. There was a disaster coming. The Ottoman Armenian genocide of 1895-1896 produced 300,000 casualties. It was a prelude to the plan implemented by the alleged "Youth and Progress" Committee (1915-1916). At least 1.5 million Armenians were murdered at the time. This was the first conscious genocide committed by 1 nation at another in our era (although any features of this crime had an action of destroying the Burks by the British in confederate Africa from 1898 to 1901.)
The horror of the failure to Armenians in Turkish territory is besides demonstrated by a list of lost cultural treasures. There were 2,800 Armenian schools in six villas inhabited by Armenians until 1915. There's 18 left in Istanbul alone. There were a 1000 churches and 700 monasteries in the same area. respective remained in Istanbul, mostly in the Galata (Pera) territory behind the Golden Horn, traditionally inhabited by the alleged Franks or European Catholics (there utilized to be a Genue colony there). respective 100 ruins of historical Armenian temples destruct without assistance in Turkey. By 2021, 32 countries officially found Turkey guilty of genocide in Armenians (including Poland).
From planet War I The Armenians left in a terrible shock. Almost all household lost loved ones. Only those who were Russian subjects survived. The Armenians, who fled Turkey, joined the volunteer troops with the Russian army. From 1918 to 1920, post-war chaos gave Armenians short independency in the continuous fight against Turks and Bolsheviks, then conquest by russian Russia, cutting up and so tiny territory (a tender cooperation by Lenin with Atatürk allowed this). The Bolsheviks maliciously gave the artificially created Azerbaijan (his population was then called Tatars) as a reward for the fast acceptance of communism purely Armenian provinces of Arcachu and Nachichevan. In the interwar years, there was a complete systemic sovietization of Armenian SRR, preceded by a wave of political emigration.
Finally, the breakthrough – after so many years of waiting for the revival of an independent state only thanks to the dissolution of the russian Union, although it is worth reminding that since the 1970s, formalized (obviously "underground") opposition groups existed in Armenia. 1 of them had a support in the Apostolic Church, the only community at the time, which despite wounds and losses sustained the continuity of the national tradition. The declaration of independency preceded a bloody conflict over the acquisition of Archachu-Mountain Karabach, purely Armenian land, looted for russian Azerbaijan in 1923. Then 94% of the Arcachu people were Armenians!
In 1988, after systematic discrimination in the russian era of Azerbaijan, there were only 75% of them, but inactive an absolute majority. In 1988, deputies of the Autonomous Circuit of Mountain Karabach passed the annexation of this state to Armenia. Mass demonstrations of local Armenians and their compatriots in Armenian SRR reassured the public that this was an expression of the desire of the indigenous population. The Azerbaijani responded in their own way – pogroms of Armenian families in the cities of Azerbaijan. Half a million Armenians were driven out of them. In retaliation, 200,000 Azerbaijani were exiled from the Armenian SRR. Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, the war on Karabach broke out (1991-1993). The Armenians won this war. They not only mastered the Arcach/Karabach, but the regions surrounding it, from which the Azerbaijani population was removed and Armenian settlers were brought in, though in low numbers.
Unfortunately, alternatively of taking full advantage of this triumph and full entitled to annex the Arces to the fresh Republic of Armenia, the fiction of Armenian quasi-state was preserved, which no 1 of course recognized. It was a large mistake that took revenge 27 years later. In 1993, the fresh Russia was alternatively favoured by Armenians, the Armenian generalization of russian times – much better than Azerbaijani, and the Armenian army more efficient and equipped after the USSR. This annexation would then besides be swallowed by global, always hating the integration of the territories of 1 nation into 1 state (because it confuses the advantage of the cosmopolitan tiger). But sided with the wall, he gives up his dogmas.
Unfortunately, the substance was dealt with in half. The Republic of Armenian Arcachem maintained the full of Armenia, supported the Armenian diaspora with crucial subsidies, with discreet assistance from Russia. Russia's defence deal with Armenia, however, did not take Arcachu into account, and this has put a strain on the tragedy of fresh years. The change in the position of this area was postponed from year to year, while it was certain that Azerbaijan was preparing a reconquist with the general assistance of Turkey. The Armenians knew what would happen to their people under Azerbaijani rule. The territory of Nachichevan, inactive in the 1920s absolutely Armenian, was "purified" from Armenians, their churches and monasteries were demolished, and the cemeteries were plowed. No enlightened individual in the west has followed the Armenians in that area. I do not know any UN resolution condemning the demolition of Armenian cultural monuments. The EU has not imposed its bullshit sanctions on Azerbaijan. Silence.
However, Armenia has slept through a increasing Azerbaijani-Turkish threat.. The successful situation so far reversed in autumn 2020. Azerbaijan was favored by the systematic modernization of the army, assisted by Turkey and Israel, the global paralysis during the pandemic, and the expanding engagement of Russia in building a balance in the mediate East in dialog with Turkey. Despite the heroic defence of the Arcachu armed forces and Armenian volunteers, there was a defeat. Azerbaijan regained this buffer belt surrounding Arcach (the Armenian settlers were exiled and immediately returned the Azerbaijani) and gained a large condition of Arcach himself. The hull remains of the erstwhile Armenian authorities under the care of the Russian Army's truce contingent. For 3 bitter years. The Azerbaijani forces continued to provoke clashes, and then entered the “hungry” blockade, as the only contact of this Armenian island with its homeland was the alleged “Latin Corridor”, a road formally guarded by the Russians, but very inept. In the fall of 2023, the final came. Turkey and Azerbaijan have taken advantage of the change in Russia's priorities, which has been tackled by the terrible war in Ukraine. An invasion carried out utilizing a crushing military advantage swept distant the defenders in the passive attitude of the Russians. 150 1000 indigenous people of this land went to wander. Armenia lost the last territory of the erstwhile national area.
What, then, is modern Armenia? This is 1/10 of Armenia's area of Tigranes the large from the 1st century BC. This already shows the degree of the humiliation that all Armenian remembers well. This is simply a sparsely populated country with a steadily decreasing population, which has been affected by emigration and low birth rate. In 1991, 3.5 million people lived in Armenian SRR. The emigration of poorness and unemployment from 1991-2000 included a million people – almost 1/3 of the nation! Of this, 80% went to Russia permanently or seasonally, and 20% to the USA, France, the Czech Republic and Poland. In 2021, despite the return from 2000 and the country's supply of old emigration grants, only 2,9700,000 people were counted. statistic somewhat improved the influx of Armenians fleeing Iraq, Syria and Lebanon after 2011 (approximately 20,000) and Arcach in 2023 (more than 100,000).
Three historical stages of independent Armenia can be distinguished: 1991-1998 period of poverty, stagnation and emigration, 1998-2018 period of fast economical growth, from 2018- period of postulated reforms by the Paszynian government, or indeed period of lost wars and humiliation. Armenia is simply a cornered country. The long-closed borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey are a permanent threat zone. Just look at the map: the enemy front surrounds Armenia from the west and the east. Even erstwhile there are no shots fired, alertness does not diminish. The blockade covers 80% of the borders of Armenia, the country, I remind you, without any access to the sea.
The borders with Azerbaijan were set in an absurd way. They are accompanied by strategical roadways linking the centre of the country to the south and north-east. Fights around respective enclaves and exclaves alternately encompassed by Armenians or Azerbaijanes led to paralysis of communication respective times. The most dangerous situation is the confederate state of Sjunik (Zangezur). It squeezes a narrow mountain wedge between the Azerbaijani exclave of Nachichania (Dar Lenin) and the lost in 2020 by Armenians ‘buffer’ of Azerbaijani between Arcach and Armenia. There are 2 roads of large importance. Above the border river Araks (the border of Armenia with Iran only 35 km) runs a road leading westward through the Nachichewan territory to Turkey and east to Baku.
For respective years the Turkish and Azerbaijan authorities have been demanding the extraterritorial position of this road, with Russia agreeing to condominium by 2023. What does that remind us of? The city of Araks Meghri is simply a life-giving gateway for Armenia. This is the only circular passage to Iran. With Meghri through the Goris road, the mountains of Sjunik are wriggling and then Wajoc Dzor towards Erwanie. all day there are caravans of truck and tankers with the goods essential to last the next day in this country (I saw it with my own eyes). In respective places the road is sometimes shelled by the Azers. Where possible, peculiar shields were made to defend medium-sized cars. In the last 3 years, Azerbaijan's state leadership (read the entourage of the dictator Aliyev) has made an insolent request that Armenia hand over all of Sjunik as an “eternal” Azerbaijani land. This thought was born long ago in Istanbul. The real borders of Turkey would then scope the shores of the Caspian Sea. After specified a loss, the small Armenian state would have no chance of surviving.
The enmity of Turks and Azerbaijans against Armenians, contrary to appearances, has no spiritual cause. It is due to geopolitical strategy and national animosity. I will illustrate this confrontation with examples. During the 2020 War, the Turks sent the Azerbaijani Muslim mercenaries from Syria. Paid for with Azerbaijani petrodollars, they were fond of killing Armenian civilians and killing wounded soldiers. There were prohibited cluster bombs. civilian housing was destroyed. Churches were deliberately bombed. The same thing happened in 2023. “West” did not motion on the substance with a dirty finger. You know, an ally of Turkey with an army of 700,000 people is worth fearing. Israel (back to this) equipped Azerbaijan with excellent device weapons. It was useful. Turkish Bajraktar rockets (so praised by the Błaszczak mine), drones and bombs destroyed Armenian farms. Wars 2020 and 2023 were calculated to destruct the Armenian Archachian autochthons. I have not heard the outrage or the protest of Euro-Atlantic “authorities” or the expression of “EU bodies”.
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Prof. Tadeusz M. Trajdos
[1] M. Falkowski, ‘Armenia, circulation closed’, Wołowiec 2022.
[2] At 1 point in his book, Mr Falkowski expresses disgust at the "swelling sponges" of Armenian oligarchs, naturally those sold out to Russia. I ask the question: are the murders of Soros himself, his earmen and his sidekicks not swollen? I think they are. The argument of beauty of “open society” is missed and can easy turn against its publishers.
Think Poland, No. 5-6 (2-9.02.2025)
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