Official Yerevan`s illogical and groundless remarks following the Sochi meeting once again proved that there are serious problems in Armenia`s foreign policy. President Serzh Sargsyan continues to slander the Azerbaijani side in order to justify his unsuccessful moves. What he says is full of contradictions. The Armenian leader appears to experience serious problems in sensing reality and drawing adequate conclusions. Experts openly admit this. A deeper look into the situation proves that Yerevan is still playing a non-constructive role in the region. This necessitates regional states taking certain steps.

Lie and diplomacy: Sargsyan`s political dilemma

Even challenged, a politician should never lose patience or breach political ethics. Those who lose control of their emotions and break treaties when in difficulty can hardly be worthy leaders. This is an evidence of unprofessionalism and injustice of such politicians because they make public what must be kept ``secret`` in order to hide their weakness. This is how the Armenian leader behaved after the Sochi meeting. His interview to Armnews TV channel proved his being ``a casual head of state``.

Before the meeting Sargsyan attracted serious criticism from internal political forces because he was helpless against Azerbaijan in all areas of diplomacy. Moreover, the country is plunged into a very difficult socio-political and geopolitical situation. People are leaving the country, there are problems with conscription. Analysts and experts also disapprove of Armenia`s membership of the Customs Union.

For example, Armenia is not only unable to build a dialogue with Muslim Azerbaijan, but also experiences problems with Christian Georgia. Armenian experts blame official Yerevan`s decision to enter the Customs Union for this. They warn that Armenia will face serious geopolitical and economic problems in the region.

One Armenian expert writes: ``It`s no secret that Georgia has closer relations with Azerbaijan. If Armenia and Georgia were associative members of the European Union, then these two countries would have close relationship in general, with Azerbaijan having a lower status and Armenia-related problems affecting Georgia-Azerbaijan relations`` (see: Арам Аматуни. И это еще только начало… / "1in.am", 21 August 2014).

Leaving aside the fact that the Armenian expert`s remarks were biased and anti-democratic and that it was discrimination and not cooperation lying at the heart of these remarks, the point is that A. Amatuni admits that Sargsyan`s foreign policy has got the country into trouble. And primitive arguments like ``if it was not this way, it would have been the other way`` do not work here. But the Armenian expert`s views derive from official Yerevan`s groundless arguments regarding the country`s geopolitical choice.

The majority of experts sense this reality. And it lays behind Sargsyan`s hastily commenting, through his own perspective, on what must be kept in secret after the Sochi meeting. He has no choice but to justify himself by any means.

Some Armenian analysts point to the Armenian leader`s low self-confidence. And this is of particular interest. Ovanes Mandakuni, for example, writes: ``Serzh Sargsyan`s TV interview (interview to Armnews – Newtimes.az) showed that he has low self-confidence`` (see: Ованнес Мандакуни. Сочи и его последствия / "1in.am", 12 August 2014). Both Sargsyan`s governance tactics and policy have been a complete fiasco.

When policy is far from reality and specificity...

The Azerbaijani military`s landing a powerful blow on the Armenian army played a crucial role in making things difficult for the Armenian leader. Although they hide it, the Armenian side suffered great losses and, most importantly, the Armenian leadership realized the power and combat readiness of the Azerbaijani army. So the Armenian leadership lost their tale of ``powerful Armenian army`` that they have been telling their people for so many years. A logical thing to do in Sargsyan`s case was commenting on the issue. But in his interview he made grave mistakes and illogical arguments that wouldn’t do for a head of state.

In a talk with Armnews, Sargsyan contradicted himself, on the one hand, talking of Armenia`s military power, and on the other, saying that Azerbaijani tanks are capable of reaching Yerevan (see: Интервью Сержа Саргсяна телеканалу АрмНьюз: полный текст / "1in.am", 12 August 2014).

As far as recent armed incidents are concerned, the Armenian leader spoke not as a politician, but as a commander of occupation forces, a terrorist and a separatist. ``Azerbaijanis are well aware that we have ballistic missiles…and we can ruin any flourishing residential area in a short period of time like we did with Aghdam``.

Two points are well worth considering here. First, the Armenian President admits that Azerbaijani cities and villages are flourishing, and he envies. He cannot hide his traditional Armenian craftiness, which dictates that ``everything good must be annihilated``, because there is no development in his own country. Second, by mentioning Aghdam he recalls his terrorist past.

On this psychological feature of Sargsyan, Israeli expert Arye Gut says: ``…Yes, unfortunately, the occupant Armenian army razed the town of Aghdam to the ground…I fail to understand how the Armenian President can be proud of these terror and occupation facts. Unfortunately, despite being elected for his second term, President Sargsyan continues to think as a terrorist. This once again proves that Armenia is not ready to co-exist in peace with Azerbaijan, and this is why there has been no progress in the negotiations`` (see: Israeli expert: Serzh Sargsyan continues to think as terrorist / AzərTAc, 20 August 2014).

Indeed, such a person`s being at the head of a South Caucasus country is a negative fact because neighboring countries` being ruled by wise and realist teams would be advantageous to Azerbaijan. Baku is the driving force of regional cooperation. On the other hand, only patient and realist politicians are capable of achieving solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Unfortunately, Sarsgyan and his team do not match with these criteria. This is evidenced by the Armenian leader`s interview immediately following the Sochi meeting.

This allows drawing certain geopolitical conclusions. Official Yerevan appears to be far from considering making positive changes in its foreign policy. It will remain adhered to its non-constructive position. Yerevan can even put the regional geopolitical situation at risk. It can, for example, attempt to make the regional situation more volatile through stirring up Armenian separatism in Javakhetia and carrying out acts of sabotage on energy routs.

Armenia, in fact, has not managed to build a completely beneficial cooperation with any of the regional countries. Problems exist even with Iran, caused by Yerevan`s preferring Russia in the energy matters. Armenia remains isolated while cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia has reached a new level. This can provoke Yerevan into ill-considered and unconstructive moves.

Socio-economic difficulties and fiasco in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue can worsen the situation in Yerevan itself prompting the Armenian leadership to take another adventurist steps in its foreign policy under a wave of protest. This, for its part, can cause more uncertainty in the entire South Caucasus region.

Obviously the Armenian President`s interview testifies to official Yerevan`s ``political problems``. And it is Sargsyan himself who caused this situation. But the worst of it is that Yerevan does not still sense this reality and is unable to quit its past century mindset. And time will show how much this contradicts to modern geopolitical realities.

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