Pashinyan is converting external tensions into domestic political capital: Leonid Tsukanov

Leonid Tsukanov, Political analyst and orientalist, commented to Alpha News on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks that if he is not re-elected, there will be war.

“The argument is quite debatable, because on one hand, Pashinyan is a controversial figure from the perspective of external observers and Armenian society itself. However, on the other hand, if one looks at his domestic political position specifically, he is most likely referring to the fact that there is considerable tension in the region along Armenia’s borders. On the more distant frontiers, this concerns the Iranian conflict, as well as the situation in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and accordingly, he is attempting to convert external tensions into domestic political capital,” the expert believes.

In the political analyst’s view, in its movement toward the West, Armenia must take into account intra-regional processes that call for a multi-directional approach.

“European aspirations are, of course, a rather contentious matter, because on one hand, we see a situation where the electorate is developing a demand for movement toward the European family and integration into Europe. But on the other hand, the regional and sub-regional environment dictates its own conditions and its own framework, and that framework pushes more toward a multi-vector approach. This is not about a blind pursuit of Europe and engagement with official Brussels, but about building multi-directional ties, with Russia, with China, and with the countries of the region,” Tsukanov concluded.