If Azerbaijan strikes, should Armenia remain silent?

On September 9, Israel launched an airstrike in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The reported target was high-ranking members of the Hamas political leadership. This incident sparked a strong international reaction, including condemnation from Qatar, which described the attack as a “gross violation of sovereignty.” Qatar also stated that the incident threatens its role as a mediator in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Israel is a strategic ally of the United States. Qatar, too, holds a special status as a “major non-NATO ally” and hosts one of the largest US military bases abroad: Al-Udeid Air Base. Yet one US ally struck at the territory of another US ally. At the same time, according to Israeli media, Israel warned the United States in advance that it would carry out a military operation on the territory of another sovereign ally of Washington.

This component of the Qatari events is also important for Armenia, especially in the context of the documents signed on August 8. During a joint press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump stated that he had made a personal promise to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan: if any issues arose, they could call him directly for help in resolving them. But could it be that among the signatories of the August 8 declaration, some are “more equal than others”? Could one party play the role of Israel, and the other be relegated to the role of Qatar? And in the event of aggression, Donald Trump, without understanding the situation, would call for “silence and continued implementation of the project in Albania”?

However, there is another interpretation of the events: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a brief statement regarding Israel’s strike on Qatar. “Israel has struck Hamas, which was unfortunately located in one of the neighborhoods of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” Jean-Pierre said. Her statement was vague and did not provide a clear explanation of the United States’ position.

Later, we learned from Trump’s comments that the President believes this unfortunate incident could be an opportunity for peace, and he assured the Emir of Qatar that such an event would not happen again.

Armenia has every reason to be concerned about what happened in Qatar, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has put the country in a system where there are no guarantees of security, and you may find yourself in a situation where you are told to remain silent after being attacked.

Think about it…