Russia is calmly monitoring actions of Armenian authorities – Andrey Areshev

Speaking with Alpha News, Strategic Culture Foundation expert Andrey Areshev noted that Moscow is closely monitoring Yerevan’s European integration efforts and their compliance with its EAEU obligations.

“In these challenging times, Mr. Simonyan, despite his controversial statements, remains the speaker of the Armenian parliament. Formally, he is the country’s top official, although the actual power structure is different. He regularly participates in interparliamentary cooperation events between Russia and Armenia, but the effectiveness of the dialogue remains questionable. Rationally, both sides should have a predictable understanding of each other’s positions. Parliamentary elections are approaching in Armenia, and Russia is closely monitoring Yerevan’s European integration efforts and how they align with its commitments within the Eurasian Economic Union and bilateral projects. Sergey Lavrov also spoke about this. Any opportunity for constructive discussion should be welcomed,” the expert said.

According to Areshev, Armenia is acting independently, while Russia is responding calmly.

“At the very least, it is important to understand each other’s intentions. You are right to ask: the situation is indeed deteriorating. The Armenian side, through its statements and concrete actions, demonstrates that it can act as it sees fit, and we’re not seeing any real resistance from Russia. The Russian side views this calmly, which is partly explained by the difficult conditions for implementing its foreign policy doctrine. It is interesting to see how long this can continue. The lack of normal dialogue at the political and parliamentary levels will, one way or another, impact trade and economic cooperation between our countries. The results for 2025 are not particularly encouraging. But, as Russian representatives have repeatedly emphasized, Armenia is an independent country and has the right to build relations with whomever it sees fit. It is just important that this does not lead to completely negative consequences,” the political scientist noted.