Epress.am News from Armenia
The real turning point in the attitude toward people of Caucasian nationality in Russia occurred earlier, said Caucasus Institute Director Alexander Iskandaryan, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today. (Note that Caucasian in this sense does not refer to white Europeans or European-descended peoples per se, but rather to people from the Caucasus region.)
“This proves two processes: first, nationalist, Nazi underground movements were formed in some Russian cities. Second, ‘Caucasus-phobia’ moved beyond this subculture of narrow groups and went further,” he said.
In Iskandaryan’s opinion, these sentiments also permeate into other subcultures.
“Football fans, who a few years ago had no such agenda, were not so politicized, are now politicized and moving toward nationalism,” he said.
Iskandaryan said what is happening in Russia today can be considered not so much “Caucasus-phobia” as a phobia of dark-skinned peoples, and perhaps xenophobia in general, because many more are subject to violence — beginning from the Tajiks to the Moldovans.
The analyst believes this is an alarming trend, that such sentiments will be politicized. “Politicians will make use of the public mood. It will bring xenophobic sentiments into free speech.”
There’s a danger that Russian authorities won’t be able to contain this wave.
In Iskandaryan’s opinion, Caucasian peoples uniting is impossible. “Armenians in Moscow can’t even unite, how can we expect them to unite with Azerbaijanis or Georgians to unite with Ossetians? Alliances can be created around particular issues, but to imagine that they can come together to oppose something together is impossible,” he said.
The Moscow clashes will lead to the number of those returning to Armenia or, in any case, leaving Russia to increase. “Also, a few less people here [in Armenia] will go to Russia. Those who wish to leave here will begin to look for other ways, in other countries.”