Armenia has refocused on partnership with West – Mikhail Tilman

Speaking with Alpha News, Mikhail Tilman, political scientist and director of the Center for Political Research, commented on Armenia’s appeal to the US regarding possible construction of the NPP and reports that the US is preparing a “color revolution” in Georgia.
According to the expert, in order to get away from Russia economically, Armenia needs to take such steps as the construction of the American nuclear power plant.

“It looks like Armenia is moving towards strategic reorientation. Over the past years, the Armenian authorities have significantly refocused on a partnership with the West. This is what I call strategic reorientation, and the idea of the construction of the nuclear power plant is actually part of this strategy. Why? Because Armenia is almost completely dependent on Russia in terms of economy. Armenia has the Soviet-era nuclear power plant. That is, it is built with Soviet technologies. Therefore, in order to get away from Russia economically, Armenia needs to take certain steps. For example, the construction of the American nuclear power plant. However, many other things may change as well because the construction of a nuclear power plant is a very long process. The problem of any country’s partnership with the United States is that every four years, the US may have a new administration and, therefore, a new focus. Americans are living according to these cycles,” Tilman said.

Speaking about the reports that the US is planning a color revolution in Georgia, the political scientist said that everything depends on how the Georgian authorities will be able to resist foreign interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.

“Something is being prepared; it is quite obvious because the society in Georgia is split and it is split evenly. Because what the Georgians have been doing since 2008 is living in constant hostility with its huge neighbor on the northern border and it is, to put it mildly, harmful. They have now gradually reduced this hostile attitude. And, of course, these forces have a majority, but it’s not that big. The opposition, which is determined for an extremely pro-Western confrontation with Russia, is still strong and influential. Judging by the polls, the patriots of Georgia will win the elections. And, of course, there will be a new ‘Maidan’. Whether they succeed, of course, depends on the Georgian society and the Georgian authorities and to what extent they are able to consolidate in order to repel foreign interference in Georgia’s internal affairs,” Tilman said.

The expert also discussed the news that the Armenian Ambassador to the United States, Lilit Makunts, attended the National Congress of the Democratic Party of the United States, as well as the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan on the peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku.