The relations between Armenia and Russia do not need to be re-formed, but they definitely need recovery. In an interview with Euromedia24, Russian political scientist, Leading Researcher of the International Institute of International Studies, the Editor-in-Chief of the International Analysis magazine Sergey Markedonov, spoke about the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Yerevan and the general state of Armenian-Russian relations.
According to the political scientist, the turning point in the Armenian-Russian relations in 2022 were the events. According to him, if it were not for the War of Ukraine, Russia would have more active in this region.
"The Armenian leadership has made several mistakes and hasty conclusions about Russia, thinking that Russia is leaving the Caucasus. There was such an idea that "the end, Russia is a leaving player," so we need to focus on other "sponsors" of security. You don't have to make a hasty conclusions. And Armenia needs Russia, and on the contrary, Russia needs Russia, our countries have common interests, it is obvious, "said the Russian political scientist.
In this context, Sergei Markedonov also touched upon the issue of the failure of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, noting that if there were no Russian peacekeepers, there would be more serious consequences. According to him, it does not "save" the fact that Armenians lost their lands and had to escape.
"When in 2023, until September events, the Armenian leader says that" Karabakh is Azerbaijani land, our territory is 29,000 square meters. km, we need to quickly remove that cargo, "when the people of Karabakh involve us involved in war, we must leave this agenda and build a peace agenda," Russia needs to be more than Armenians. Hardly. This explains Russia's behavior, "the political scientist commented.
According to Markedonov, the West cannot replace Russia. According to him, no matter how weakened Russia, the United States and the European Union cannot become an alternative for Armenia as security guarantees. However, according to the leading researcher of MGIMO, it is not an opportunity for himself or Russian officials to allow themselves to make expressions such as: "Where should Armenians run away? They have no place to escape." He stressed that the Armenian interests should be respected.
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Aram Sargsyan
