Armenia has drifted considerably from loyalty to its allied relationship with Russia: Vladimir Shapovalov

Vladimir Shapovalov, associate professor at the Department of Comparative Political Science at MGIMO, shared his commentary with Alpha News on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow.

“Pashinyan seeks to pursue a policy aimed at rapprochement with Western countries while at the same time demonstrating commitment to the integration projects and alliances that exist in the post-Soviet space, in particular the EAEU and the CSTO. This is primarily about appealing to friendly relations with Russia, even as Armenia has in practice drifted considerably from a position of loyalty to Russian-Armenian partnership and allied relations. Nevertheless, the Armenian Prime Minister is still seeking to demonstrate that he is not opposed to the Russian-Armenian alliance and is not engaged in dismantling it, and is taking certain steps in that direction, some of them demonstrative in nature. The visit to Moscow is one such step,” Shapovalov said.

According to the expert, the main reason for Pashinyan’s visit is the upcoming elections in Armenia in June 2026.

“Pashinyan is seeking to send a signal to Armenian society about friendship and the continuation of Armenia’s historically traditional choice of friendship with Russia, thereby retaining the loyalty of certain voter groups who favor continuing that tradition, as well as weakening his opponents who claim that Pashinyan is a pro-Western politician. This is the primary motivation behind the visit,” Shapovalov noted.

In the political analyst’s view, the situation in the Middle East also forms part of the agenda of Pashinyan’s visit to Russia, as the escalating military hostilities pose a serious threat to Armenia.

“The military operations are taking place in close proximity to the South Caucasus, and this is a very alarming fact for Armenia, as the fighting is being conducted virtually along the perimeter of Armenia’s borders. This cannot but cause concern in Armenian society, and I believe it may also be part of the agenda of Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Russia,” Shapovalov concluded.

Details in the video.