The world is increasingly talking about the new realities in the Middle East. If before on the front-pages of news was “Arab revolution”, now in the center of the international community are the actions of Islamic extremists, who leave their profound impact on the countries of the region, including Lebanon, where the platoon of Armenian peacekeepers in the Italian contingent is fulfilling its peacekeeping mission.

Arabist, an expert on regional issues Armen Petrosyan answers these questions.

– Recently Armenian peacekeepers went to Lebanon as part of the Italian unit. How this is important for us?

– As for the place of dislocation of the Armenian peacekeepers, in my opinion, it is, clearly, a positive development for our country, which gradually strengthens its position in the international system of states. Actively participating in such missions, Armenia states not only its own stable position in establishing peace and security in the world, but also its effective role. On the other hand, despite the small number of Armenian peacekeepers it is a very important psychological factor for the large Armenian community in Lebanon.

– What do you think, what fate awaits Lebanon as a result of “Islamic state’s” actions?

– The fate of Lebanon is directly proportional to the situation that threatens Syria and Iraq, and how will deepen the crisis in these countries, so the impact of this will be disastrous for Lebanon. One thing is clear, referring to the expected developments in Syria, the Middle East, we can assume that the situation in Lebanon is unlikely to stabilize, most likely is the opposite trend.

HASMIK POGHOSYAN