Armenia’s EU orientation could make it hostile region toward Russia – Aslan Rubaev

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist and expert on post-Soviet countries Aslan Rubaev commented on the reports that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a decree establishing a Department of European Integration at the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

“Pashinyan’s decision to create and establish yet another structure responsible for European integration certainly comes as neither surprise nor delight. This signals participation in European programs. Armenia will now adapt its legislation to European standards, hoping to further strengthen economic cooperation with European countries. In the context of global political trends, this is part of a larger game, part of a broader process of reorienting some post-Soviet countries toward Western development models—the model, for example, that Georgia once followed. If we consider Pashinyan’s decision from a domestic political perspective, such actions could strengthen his position and satisfy some of the demands of an electorate already oriented toward the West, with whom various Western foundations have worked for decades, convincing the population that cooperation with the West will bring prosperity to Armenia and convert the Armenian people to European values. It must be said that there are already quite a number of such people, especially among Armenia’s young population,” Rubaev said.

According to the political scientist, Pashinyan wants to show that Armenia has allies other than Russia.

“This could be a strategic move aimed at expanding Armenia’s capabilities and gaining additional allies—moves that are likely to irritate Moscow. It’s a way of demonstrating that Armenia, in its extremely difficult geopolitical situation, has allies other than Russia. But there are several important factors for Russia here: how will the historically close ties between Armenia and Russia now be taken into account, especially given its membership in the CSTO and the EAEU? Will this harm Russia’s interests and those of the EAEU and CSTO as a whole? And how should Moscow now assess this direction, Armenia’s western drift? The key concern is that Armenia’s orientation toward the European Union should not make it a completely hostile region toward Russia, nor should it compromise Armenia’s sovereignty. This is precisely where I have a lot of doubts,” Rubaev concluded.