Moscow and Tehran are wary of Pashinyan’s European vector – Andrey Areshev

Speaking with Alpha News, political analyst and expert of the Strategic Culture Foundation Andrey Areshev commented on the SCO summit and relations between Armenia and Russia, as well as Russia and Azerbaijan.

“The escalation between Russia and Azerbaijan is going in different directions, and the unfounded allegations, as one can assume, come from the interests of Azerbaijani diplomacy, which is seeking to provoke a split between Russia, India and China. The mention of New Delhi’s mythical refusal looks like an attempt to set up China and other participants in the context of Azerbaijan’s accession to the SCO. A narrative is being shaped to incite discord, despite the absence of any real basis.

Russia is making efforts despite the accusations of Azerbaijani experts against India. This is a diplomatic escalation related to Pakistan, which has long demonstrated a similar position. The SCO remains a loose structure, where contradictions between India, Pakistan and China persist. External forces—aligned with Azerbaijan—are attempting to undermine the organization’s effectiveness. India, in fact, put an end to it, citing time constraints, which underscores the complexity of admitting new members,” Areshev said.

Touching upon the agreements between Yerevan and Baku in Washington, the expert noted that Turkey and Azerbaijan are promoting their vision, while Armenia is trying to involve the United States as a mediator.

“The Washington agreements are still vague. Armenia interprets the ‘Trump corridor’ as part of the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project, while Baku and Ankara insist on extraterritoriality and unimpeded access. Now there is a complex game going on around the investment consortium, where not only states are involved, but also businesses and security structures. Turkey and Azerbaijan are promoting their vision, and Armenia is trying to involve the United States as a mediator. But many practical questions remain unanswered—who will modernize the road, and within what timeframe? All this is still unclear,” the political analyst emphasized.