Armenia has no levers of influence on the developments in the Northern Iraq. It's useless pinning hopes with Armenia, Stepan Safaryan, Director of the Armenian Institute for International Security Probloems, told ArmInfo when commenting on the calls of the Yezidi organizations for assistance to the Iraqi Yezidis.
"The biggest think Yerevan can do in such situation is to express its position or raise the issue at the international structures. I can't say, however, why Armenia hasn't done it yet. I think, no one should be surprised at the silence of our diplomacy any longer," the political scientist said. According to him, Armenia's Foreign Ministry kept silent even when Azerbaijani forces made sabotage attacks and provocations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and along the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. Safaryan calls this lack of either sovereignty or professionalism.
As for what is going on in Northern Iraq, particularly, the atrocities by the radical Islamic militants against the Christian minorities, Safaryan warned that inactivity of the world community will lead to disastrous aftermaths. "Establishment of Islamic Caliphate will fundamentally change the situation in the region, increase the security threats in the Greater Middle East. Establishing in the territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan, Islamists will try to expand their influence also on the neighboring states. Armenia has much to worry about. There are thousands of Azeris among the ISIS militants. What if they penetrate into the territory of Azerbaijan?" Safaryan asked rhetorically.