“Armenia will never become a NATO member”: Alexander Rahr

Alexander Rahr commented to Alpha News on the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan.

“Armenia is moving closer and closer to the EU. This format, which was created after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, was established by almost all EU states to counter Russia in Eastern Europe. As we know, Europe’s strategy also involves trying to draw former Soviet republics, independent states such as Armenia, closer to the EU and perhaps, eventually, closer to NATO. This is clearly happening, and the process is now unfolding within this political format: the European Union, together with its new partners such as Armenia, is already holding regular meetings,” Rahr said.

According to the expert, Armenia should understand that it will never become a member of NATO.

“I personally believe Armenia needs to maintain its allied relations with Russia, since they have developed historically. Sooner or later, after the difficulties Russia is currently facing due to the war in Ukraine, the geopolitical and geo-economic situation will stabilize, and all doors should be kept open for that. It is also a fact that the EU is attracting not only Armenia, but also Azerbaijan and Central Asia toward Europe. These countries will use such invitations to gain economic benefits. I believe it should be clear to Armenia that it will never become a NATO member and therefore will not become a full part of the West. It is up to Armenia’s leadership to decide how closely it wants to align with the EU while at the same time not falling out with Russia and continuing to develop allied relations with it,” he noted.

In Rahr’s view, the EU’s main goal is to pull Armenia out of Russia’s sphere of influence.

“Of course, the EU will say that Armenia is very important, and so on, but in my view, the main goal is to pull Armenia out of Russia’s influence and weaken Russia’s position in the post-Soviet space. That is the primary objective. What the European Union will then offer Armenia, I have not examined in detail, but in my opinion, Armenia does not represent such significant economic interest for the EU. Moreover, if I were in the position of Armenia’s leadership, I would raise the question directly: is the European Union ready to accept Armenia as a member if it truly wants this? Or will the situation be similar to that of Turkey, Ukraine, and several other countries, which have spent years, perhaps decades, in the ‘waiting room’?” Rahr concluded.