No breakthrough achieved during Pashinyan’s visit to Russia – Alexey Anpilogov

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Alexey Anpilogov commented on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Russia and its impact on Armenian-Russian relations. According to the expert, Armenia and Russia currently diverge on many issues.

“Regarding the results of Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow, there were not any major breakthroughs—rather, minor yet important statements were made. For example, there was discussion of Armenia’s possible abandonment of nuclear energy, which, of course, could seriously complicate future cooperation with Russia’s Rosatom. Overall, it is safe to say there was no breakthrough, although perhaps one should not have expected one, given the divergent positions of Armenia and Russia on many issues today. It was more of a courtesy visit—appropriate and necessary, but, unfortunately, it did not lead to any significant results. However, this does not mean the problems currently facing Armenia have disappeared. Rather, they have been shelved once again,” Anpilogov said.

According to the political scientist, the energy issue remains particularly important for Armenia.

“Whatever one may say, if Armenia wants to remain a developed industrial nation and not slide into the third world, especially given the unspoken blockade from all sides, it needs its own energy sector. On the other hand, it was also said that Armenia is essentially asking Russia to restore rail service through Azerbaijan. This underscores Yerevan’s continued desire to reach an agreement with Baku so that Armenian interests are considered in a possible Transcaucasian settlement. Time will tell. It is still too early to speculate, since, despite many issues already resolved, a number of very complex issues remain, primarily between Armenia and Azerbaijan. These issues still need to be addressed—most likely in the near future,” Anpilogov concluded.