Recently, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal awarded Murad (aka Franck) Papazian, a member of the ‘Dashnaktsutyun’ party and head of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations in France, the highest state award – the Order of the Legion of Honour [1]. In other circumstances, this news may have been a source of pride – another Armenian loyal to Armeniancy and Armenia attained an outstanding result. Such Armenians are an important resource in the international lobbying of national and state interests (of course, the first step is to create a nation and build a state). But in the current realities, this news is difficult to perceive unambiguously. In fact, Murad (aka Franck) Papazian can be called one of the toughest critics of Pashinyan’s pro-Turkish regime. Nikol Pasha, the “wise democrat” “tolerating criticism” ordered his Janissaries to keep his critic out of the country. Unfortunately, Murad (aka Franck) did not realize that this move on Pashinyan’s part was the ultimate gift. Such personalities are recognized by the enemy and become real symbols of the struggle.
Pashinyan dealt a powerful blow to this symbol when Murad for some strange reason accepted the French President Macron’s mediation to settle the conflict. To agree to this would already mean admitting that it was not an uncompromising struggle with the regime, but a simple domestic dispute between two Armenians, which was resolved through a foreign mediator. What is more, this mediator is the head of the country you are criticizing for its populist approach to ensuring Armenia’s security. Murad (aka Franck) questions (to the point) the geopolitical capacities of France in the South Caucasus and speaks (rightly) of Paris’s close economic ties with Ankara and Baku. Is it worthy of respect and admiration that a person criticizes the country of his citizenship and residence for the interests of Armenia? Undeniably. But if it’s done sincerely.
The only criteria for sincerity are consistency and integrity. One cannot fight the regime and then enter into dialogue with it (even indirectly through an intermediary), one cannot talk about populism of the French authorities, which promise unrealistic things to Armenia, but at the same time accept the highest state award from the hands of a representative of this authority. Especially if this award plays the role of a band-aid to muzzle you. After all, Murad (aka Franck) as a public figure in terms of freedom of opinion and expression is one story, and Murad (aka Franck) with the Legion of Honour is naturally limited and сautious in his language.
Can you imagine that Charles de Gaulle, who fought the Vichy regime [2], would take the mediation of the Italian Benito Mussolini to negotiate with Henri Pétain to lift his ban on visiting France? Dubious. Once again the criteria of statesmen, fighters, and liberators are consistency and integrity.
We do not rush to draw any conclusions about Murad (aka Franck) Papazin, hoping that the above facts are only the result of a lack of political foresight. If there is a sincere desire, these mistakes can be corrected, so we will continue to follow Papazian’s rhetoric, statements, and struggle with the Nikol Pasha regime. The “Armenian Republic” hopes that, after the Order, that struggle will not wane. The “Armenian Republic” is also ready to provide Mr Papazian with its platform to express his position on the issues we have raised.
[1] France’s highest national award. The Order was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802, following the example of the Knights’ Orders.
[2] After the occupation of France in 1940 by Hitler’s Germany, most of the country was a part of the “grey zone” under the control of the Nazi collaborator General Henri Pétain. Small resort town of Vichy temporarily became the capital of France, from where Pétain administered the country. Pétain’s opponent was General Charles de Gaulle, who, while in London, organized a political and guerrilla struggle against the Vichy regime. After the fall of that regime, de Gaulle would return to France, become the founding father of the Fifth Republic and its first president.
