Weakening ties with Russia fraught with serious consequences for Armenia: Konstantin Tasits

Konstantin Tasits, political analyst, commented to Alpha News on the prospects for Russian-Armenian relations and the possible consequences of Armenia weakening its ties with the Eurasian Economic Union, at a session of the “Lazarev Club.”

“I think Armenia remains a country close to Russia in any case. We are bound by long historical ties, and very significant humanitarian ties exist as well. A large number of Armenians live in Russia, which means that people-to-people contacts are maintained. A large volume of economic relations is also preserved. Whatever cooling may occur, we can see that political relations are maintained at the highest level, we are strategic allies. This is therefore the foundation that allows us to say that relations will develop one way or another. But in what form this will happen depends greatly on the Armenian side, on which direction it chooses. If it chooses the path of gradually weakening ties with Russia and deepening relations with the EU, that is one scenario. If it genuinely wants to pursue real diversification and a truly multi-vector foreign policy, that implies maintaining and developing current relations with Russia in parallel with building ties with other centers of power,” Tasits said.

According to the expert, weakening ties with Russia carries the risk of serious economic consequences for Armenia.

“Weakening ties with Russia, with the prospect of leaving the Eurasian Economic Union, is fraught with serious economic consequences, since Armenia is one of the beneficiary countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. Thanks to its participation in the EAEU, Armenia has more than doubled its GDP over ten years. Trade is growing, entire industries are developing, such as the food industry, the mining industry, and others. In this sense, the prospects painted by the European Union remain rather ephemeral for now. That is, they do not offer concrete alternatives in terms of Armenia’s energy security and food security. The EAEU, on the other hand, is a proven organization that in recent years has brought real benefits both to the population of Armenia and to the Armenian economy as a whole,” Tasits concluded.