Pashinyan’s expectations unmet: Why did Aliyev skip St. Petersburg meeting?

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the St. Petersburg meeting because he does not wish to sign the agreements that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been insisting on, political strategist Karen Kocharyan said in an interview with AlphaNews, commenting on Aliyev’s decision not to participate in the informal summit of CIS leaders scheduled for December 22 in St. Petersburg.

Aliyev’s office explained that the reason for not traveling was his tight work schedule.

According to Kocharyan, Aliyev’s rhetoric has not changed—neither after November 9, nor following the 2023 displacement in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor after the signing of the Washington document.

It should be noted that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is attending the summit. Kocharyan added that if Pashinyan is rushing toward the EU, it raises questions about his participation in Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) meetings.

“Pashinyan has no other choice, since the lion’s share of Armenia’s exports goes to the Eurasian Economic Union,” the political strategist added.