On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the participants of the event dedicated to the 111th anniversary of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
In a statement to Medianews.az regarding the issue, political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu said that by issuing appeals yesterday and today in support of the so-called genocide events, some heads of state indirectly justify the burning of the Turkish flag in the central square of Yerevan:
“While Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shown no interest in the 'Armenian genocide' topic and stated that 'the international recognition of the genocide is not a priority of the government's foreign policy,' some heads of state, including Vladimir Putin, want to be 'more Catholic than the Pope.'
The spirit of Putin's appeal to the participants of the 'genocide' event also signifies support for the radical opposition in Armenia ahead of the parliamentary elections.
For instance, Putin used the following sentence: 'I express my confidence that the sons and daughters of Armenia will continue to preserve their national identity.'
This sentence can also be read as: 'Your prime minister distances himself from national identity, befriends the enemies of the Armenians, and the national identity of Armenians depends on the continuation of the alliance with Russia.'
It should be noted that in his appeal, Putin included expressions such as 'the consequences of the killing of defenseless people showed what religious hatred, nationalism, and xenophobia lead to,' and 'we bow our heads before the memory of hundreds of thousands of people who fell victim to the genocide against the Armenian people.' Putin also wished 'prosperity and progress to the dear Armenian people.'
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az