The current political regime in Armenia is in many ways similar to that of the Bolsheviks. This opinion was expressed by international affairs expert Armen Malvelyan.
According to him, today’s ruling team is doing everything possible to distort historical facts, claiming that the modern model of patriotism was instilled in the Armenian people by Soviet rule.
“This is yet another manipulation that has nothing to do with reality. On the contrary, the Soviet authorities always persecuted people who promoted national views and ideology. We all remember how many ended up in prison because of their beliefs. National movements in Armenia were always anti-Soviet, because it was Soviet Russia that divided Armenia, handing over Artsakh and Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan, and Kars and Igdir to Turkey. That is why the Soviet authorities tried in every possible way to suppress and strangle national movements in Armenia.
From this point of view, today’s authorities are very similar to the Bolsheviks. Like them, they stand against national movements and against the church. The Bolsheviks banned many Armenian authors, while the current government removed the works of the well-known Armenian writer Raffi from the school curriculum. In other words, today’s authorities are doing the same as the Bolsheviks, hiding behind the manipulative ideology of a ‘New Armenia’ and turning the country into a ‘disabled animal to be sold for organs,’” he stated.
According to Malvelyan, while Armenia’s authorities claim they are creating a favorable atmosphere for establishing peace, in reality they are justifying and legitimizing Azerbaijan’s actions — the ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, the illegal detention of prisoners of war, and the occupation of Armenian territories.