YEREVAN – After returning from a trip to the Crimean, Dmitry Mardirosyan, Social Democratic Hunchakian Party of Armenia Executive Committee member and political scientist declared at a press conference on March 19, that the Armenian community of Crimea has taken the correct stance regarding the Russian-Crimean issue. According to Mardirosyan the Crimean Armenians have declared neutrality due to the community’s concerns towards the safety its population.
Having witnessed the referendum in the Crimea, Mr. Martirosyan stated that the atmosphere was as portrayed accurately in the media: Peaceful with large numbers of people voting. Despite this, he stated that tensions toward the Crimea peninsula are greatly strained with a fatality arising from the conflict. “We have already seen blood spill, which is terrible,” said Martirosyan.
Asked whether there is a likelihood of an all-out war, Mr. Martirosyan replied, “the current situation, Russia as a superpower, has declared a cold war on the entire world, and as was the issue with Kosovo, strength determines everything. In this case the West’s threats towards the situation are not serious, but rather a bubble.”
Currently, over 20,000 Armenians live in the Crimea, largely concentrated in the cities of Armyansk, Simferopol, Evpatoria, Feodosiya, Kerch, Yalta, Sevastopol, Sudak.