Western partners do not want changes in Armenian government – Nadana Fridriksson

 
Speaking with Alpha News, Russian journalist Nadana Fridriksson commented on Russia’s position on the protests in Armenia and the US attitude towards the current Armenian government.

According to the journalist, the Americans do not want to change the Armenian government because it agrees to everything.

“The power of Nikol Pashinyan is understandable to Western partners, and therefore they are not going to change this power. They do not want any changes in Armenia. Now, for example, the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, is in the country, and judging by the footage, she has a complete mutual understanding with the current government. They conclude contracts for various USAID projects, and we understand perfectly well what kind of projects these are. This is not only cultural cooperation; there is a much deeper process going on there. So, why should the Americans change the power in Armenia, with which they have mutual understanding?

The current Armenian government has complete mutual understanding with London, Paris, and Washington. We see their active rapprochement in the public space. Why would Western countries support protesters in Armenia and remove the government that agrees to everything?

Moreover, based on what we see, it is obvious that Nikol Pashinyan and his team are quite appealing to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Why not? He sets conditions for him, and Pashinyan agrees. Therefore, few people have questions for the President of Azerbaijan. Even the protesters have no questions for Ilham Aliyev. He defends the interests of his country. The protesters have questions for Nikol Pashinyan,” Fridriksson said.

According to the journalist, Russia has distanced itself from the protests in Armenia.

“Russia has distanced itself from the protests in Armenia and, in general, has distanced itself today from the conflict within Armenia—the conflict between part of society and the current government. Russia did not really understand the message of these protests.

Nikol Pashinyan’s behavior can be calculated in the Kremlin, it is understandable. However, the protest movement raised questions for the political elite in Russia. Therefore, Russia stepped aside and was more concerned with its own issues. If Nikol Pashinyan chooses some completely strange paths and directly violates some agreements, then it seems to me that Russia will react. Russia is not participating in Armenia’s internal contradictions today, and that’s a fact.

Russia’s interests do not end with Transcaucasia. Today, there is a certain balance. Moscow has certain relations with Baku; Moscow has complicated relations with the current government in Armenia, but it is important to understand that today Russia’s attention is focused on other events,” Fridriksson concluded.