Cooling of Russian-Armenian relations will affect economy, says political scientist

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Alexander Bedritsky commented on Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s statement that Russia expects a clear response from Armenia after the leaked information about military and political agreements with the US and the EU in Brussels.

According to the expert, it is unlikely that all of Armenia’s privileges from Russia within the EAEU will be preserved if relations between the two countries are cooling.

“It is worth noting that the interested party here is not only Russia but also Iran. Iran is much closer to Armenia than Russia. So, the question is how Iran will react. Because if everything that Zakharova is talking about really happens, Armenia may find itself in complete isolation, including economic isolation. One can hardly expect that all the privileges of Armenia—and Armenia receives very large privileges within the EAEU from Russia—will be preserved if relations between the two countries are cooling. For Iran, the issue of the Zangezur corridor through the territory of Armenia is unacceptable,” Bedritsky said.

According to the political scientist, if relations between Russia and Armenia begin to cool, this will inevitably affect economic relations.

“We see that some agreements were actually reached in Brussels, and they affect the interests of other players in the region, including Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is also quite skeptical about such contacts. They prefer to work not even through Russia but through Turkey.
If relations between Russia and Armenia begin to cool, say, in the military and political sphere, this will inevitably affect economic relations within the EAEU,” Bedritsky concluded.