Aslan Rubaev: Armenia turned into a tool for confrontation with Russia, a tool that is similar to Ukraine

Yerevan today is not ready for a constructive dialogue with Moscow, political scientist and expert on Eurasian studies Aslan Rubaev told Alpha News.

According to him, the Armenian authorities are pursuing a policy aimed at pivoting away from Russia.

“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pursuing a policy aimed at alienating Armenia from Russia in every possible way and withdrawing from those political institutions that were created within the framework of the united post-Soviet space. Armenia in the South Caucasus has always been a priority in Russian foreign policy. For us, Armenia has always been a strategic partner and ally.

But when Pashinyan came to power, he began to pursue a policy of pivoting away from Moscow. His statements that the CSTO is an ineffective structure and that it is worth reconsidering Armenia’s membership in the customs union and the CIS raise a number of doubts. Ratification of the Roman Statute is a completely unfriendly step towards Russia.

Our joint trade turnover doubles; there is a serious dependence of Armenia on Russia, there is a Russian military base there, part of the financial sector is controlled by Russia. In these conditions, biting the hand that feeds you is not entirely right. It is disastrous for Armenia,” Rubaev said.

According to the expert, Pashinyan is working on certain tasks, such as severing Russian-Armenian relations, withdrawing the Russian military base, and withdrawing Armenia from all structures that exist as part of agreements on post-Soviet space.

“Refusal to participate in meetings at various levels, such as CIS or CSTO meetings, only brings destruction to relations. It devalues the institutions that exist. It shows that Armenia today is not ready for a constructive dialogue with Russia, and it will not follow the path of constructive normalization of the relationship that we used to have and that has not yet deteriorated completely. For Russia, from a geopolitical point of view, the South Caucasus is an area of direct interest; it is a very important region. Therefore, only Russia can be interested in its security and stability,” Rubaev noted.

“I can state that today Armenia has completely turned into a tool for confrontation with Russia, a tool that is similar to Ukraine. Armenia will now become a certain political project that will hinder any Russian influence in the region,” the political scientist emphasized.

Rubaev predicted new military actions on the part of Azerbaijan, assessed the likelihood of signing a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, and told how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects Azerbaijan’s policy.