Pashinyan cannot keep relations with Russia in limbo indefinitely: Sergey Stankevich

Sergey Stankevich, political analyst, commented to Alpha News on the prospects for Armenia-Russia relations, noting the need for a state visit to Moscow by Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, to determine the future format of bilateral cooperation.

“When we say that relations between Armenia and Russia cannot remain as they were, we must answer the question: what should they be now? It is necessary to formulate clearly what goals are set in these relations, what benefits both sides will receive, and what limitations each is prepared to impose on itself. One cannot simply hide behind a meaningful riddle. That is why I say again and again that a state visit is needed, and a frank conversation is needed, including a face-to-face one, between the head of the Armenian government and the head of the Russian state. Perhaps not all the circumstances of that conversation will be made public immediately, but the visit must be prepared for and carried out, so that at least a significant degree of predictability emerges in these relations,” Stankevich said.

According to the analyst, those who closely follow the situation in the South Caucasus and analyze the region’s geopolitical processes are also awaiting Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow.

“For now, my impression is that Nikol Pashinyan is trying to hide behind a cloud of uncertainty and keep all options equally open, to drag this uncertainty out as long as possible, without setting any priorities, fixing anything, settling on anything or consolidating anything. The head of any reasonably serious state, in my opinion, will not be able to maintain such a position for much longer. So we are still waiting for Mr. Pashinyan in Moscow. People who closely follow the situation in the South Caucasus and analyze the region’s geopolitics are, by and large, all waiting for this visit, so that at least some clarity emerges,” Stankevich concluded.