Armen Ayvazyan‘s letter about the Yerevan riots of March 1st
Another letter to an Armenian in Diaspora. I am taking out the names for privacy reasons.

Thanks for your letter, *******.

Hopefully, I'll write soon in detail on some of your questions. But I have
been criticising this government and predicting such an outcome for
all recent years. And, by the way, where was LTP all this time and why
didn't he raise his voice against any injustice during long 10 years?!

You may find attached just one of my pieces, where all the major causes of
the current crisis are clearly identified and deplored. I've been warning
about the imminent breakup of the seeming stability again and again in my
books, articles and interviews published in Armenian, Russian and English
for the last decade. Moreover, they've been read by some of the
highest representatives of the current establishment. I had a couple
of chances to even personally discuss with some of them the criticality of
the situation. They did not agree that the situation is as bad as I depict
it and were disturbed and irritated. All of my efforts to bring them
back to reality have just resulted not only in my further isolation from the
centers of decision-making, but also their attempts to silence and
marginalize me. Though they've not succeeded in the latter, I'm extremely
frustrated that all my work was almost in vain. On February 19 Armenia
has entered into a completely new and unfavorable phase: the day "X" I was
talking in my "Strategic Gaps" has already arrived.

However, LTP and his team did not come "to right the wrong", but just to
exacerbate the things to the edge. I'm a first-hand eyewitness of the
events. The major clashes happened just 100 meters from my home and I've
been hearing and watching everything from the beginning to the end. That
day L. Ter-Petrosyan and his team brought Armenia to the very brink of
DISASTER. No one can prove to me that it was the police who instigated the
clashes. It was not just a coup attempt, it was a cold-blooded attempt by
LTP & Co. to instigate a civil war!! LTP and his team are an immediate and
overwhelming national security threat!! Please look on the bigger picture,
look on the world powers waging Cold War IN ARMENIA, look on the map
again and follow the news about the Azerbaijan's movements and all the
preparations to start a war. What if Aliyev starts it now? What would we
have -- a divided Armenia, a divided Diaspora! Who has pushed the things so
far? Of, course, the government has to be blamed for all the corruption
and its woeful methods and low level of governance. But LTP has clearly and
cold-bloodedly targeted the national unity of the Armenians! He clearly and
cold-bloodedly played on the hayastantzi-gharabaghtzi artificial divide! He
and his team clearly and cold-bloodedly instigated the mob to fire and throw
grenades on the Armenian soldiers.

My street was under occupation of "the revolutionaries" for about 7 hours.
They were shouting at us: "come down, join us -- this is an uprising!" (My
daughter was frightened a lot. She still does not sleep well.) They were
calling the Armenian soldiers to join them and fire on the other Armenian
soldiers. Now who can tell me about the facts better?! Do you understand
what was at stake?! And what if just one batallion, or even a
platoon joined this uprising?? We would have ended up in a real bloody
civil war with the hundreds killed and mutilated and perhaps Artsakh and
Syunik overrun by the enemy! What was LTP's sick brain thinking at that
time?? I do not need neither to watch the Armenian TV for official version,
nor to read and listen about the ridiculous false versions now being
circulated in the web by the LTP supporters.

Please remember that Armenia is your only Homeland, irrespective of the
government. Please do not alienate neither yourselves, nor the
diasporans from the homeland. Do not alienate yourselves from the other
Armenians. After reading my article, my dear friend from Canada has labeled
me "a traitor of the nation"! Doesn't this remind you good old 1937? Just
one result of the LTP's comeback into the big politics with his neobolshevist
ideas "who is not with us, is against us"! But we are a small endangered
nation with an endangered HOMELAND!

The situation is extremely difficult and there is no easy way out of it.
The solution that is most often being offered -- the resignation of Serj
Sargsyan and the new elections is not a solution. We simply cannot afford
months and years of additional turmoil.

More on all of this later...

I also attach my own original Armenian version of the latest article on
"International investigation" offered by LTP. AZG made a translation of its
own from the Russian version, which was published earlier.

Regards,
Armen