Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, while strengthening partnerships with the US and the European Union, is also trying to maintain relations with Russia at a normal level. However, this is not working.
Because the Kremlin wants Armenia to remain dependent on Russia, as it was in the past years, and to stay away from the West. This is also not happening.
If this were possible, Armenian society would not have voted for Nikol Pashinyan and his party for the third time.
Nevertheless, Nikol Pashinyan tries not to break dialogue with Russian officials, yet his frequent phone calls with Kremlin owner Vladimir Putin yield no results.
Putin is persistent in his demand: “A referendum should be held in Armenia on the issue of the European Union or the Eurasian Economic Union.”
Pashinyan believes that holding such a referendum is premature. Because even if Armenians choose the European Union, Brussels will not admit Armenia to the organization in the coming decade.
Knowing this, Putin wants to push Pashinyan into a more difficult situation. The ban on Armenian products entering the Russian markets is related to this.
If Brussels does not simplify the entry of Armenian products into the European Union market, Pashinyan’s situation will become more complicated. The protests of Armenians who cannot sell their products will increase, which will serve the Kremlin’s purpose.
Elkhan Shahinoglu,
political analyst