Moscow is interested in a stable and predictable Armenia: Vladimir Skachko

Vladimir Skachko, a political scientist, commented to Alpha News on claims that Russia may be trying to destabilize the situation in Armenia through economic restrictions.

According to the expert, such claims are political speculation, as Moscow is interested in Armenia’s stability and in keeping it as a reliable partner in Transcaucasia.

“The claim that Russia, by imposing economic restrictions on certain segments of the Armenian economy, wants to destabilize the situation in Armenia and change the government is, to put it mildly, a deception and political speculation. Because Russia is extremely uninterested in Armenia being plunged into a period of turbulence and instability with unpredictable results. Russia is interested in Armenia being a reliable, predictable and, above all, stable and productive partner in Transcaucasia,” Skachko said.

According to the political scientist, possible economic restrictions should be seen as a warning about the consequences of changing Armenia’s foreign economic course and abandoning cooperation with Russia.

“By introducing certain restrictions, Russia is showing in advance, as a warning, what may await the Armenian economy if it changes its paradigm, if it abandons its orientation toward Russia and cooperation with Russian enterprises and chooses the European or Western side, when it trades real cooperation for promises and mirages. And since the political statements of Armenian leaders sometimes point to this, Russia is simply forced to warn and to show in practice what could happen if this choice, which Armenia has every right to make, nevertheless turns out to be the wrong one,” the expert concluded.