Pashinyan’s political shift towards Moscow raises doubts — Konstantin Zatulin

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is preparing a political shift towards Moscow, but this move raises doubts, Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chair of Russia’s State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, said in an interview with absatz. media.

“The Armenian official authorities are now desperately maneuvering, as betting on Western support has proven to be pointless. In this situation, Pashinyan is forced to oscillate from side to side. For example, he intends to visit Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. Under Pashinyan, the stability of Armenia’s foreign policy and its efforts to improve relations with Russia seem questionable. However, the idea of relations with Russia among the Armenian people does not fade away and continues to live,” he said.

According to Zatulin, Russian-Armenian relations are unlikely to improve or become reliable under Pashinyan. He hates everything that ties Armenia to Russia, the lawmaker believes.

“Pashinyan is a ‘reformer’ supposedly tasked with opening new horizons for Armenia, which today has turned into a very narrow corridor, and he is maneuvering in it. I don’t feel sorry for Pashinyan; I feel sorry for Armenia and the Armenian people,” Zatulin added.

Earlier, Armenian media reported that Pashinyan instructed the officials to improve relations with Russia.