Russia uses political instruments to sober up Armenian authorities, says political scientist

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Sergey Markelov commented on the situation with Armenian trucks stranded at the Verkhny Lars checkpoint, violations identified by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), as well as the possible visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Russia.

“Rosselkhoznadzor and similar organizations, of course, can get to the bottom of some things; double-check. There may be traffic jams on the roads, but if we look realistically, we will see that some kind of political instrument is being used against Armenia by Russia and that this is being done to sober up the Armenian authorities. Such manipulation is often used in politics, and it is used not only in Russia but also in many other countries,” Markelov said.

Speaking about the possible visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to Russia for a meeting of leaders of the CIS countries, the expert noted that Pashinyan realized that there was no need to break off relations with Russia.

“Despite ignoring all previous meetings, in particular the CSTO summits, Pashinyan nevertheless made a competent political move and did not slam the door on Russia. His decision to come to St. Petersburg in December means that he understands that there is no need to break off relations with Russia,” Markelov noted.

A possible meeting between Putin and Pashinyan, the likelihood of Armenia leaving the CSTO, and Blinken’s latest statement on a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku were also discussed.