West needs Yerevan-Baku peace agreement to use Armenia in fight against Russia — Andrey Sidorchik

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian journalist and political scientist Andrey Sidorchik commented on the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister’s statement that Moscow is against any hasty documents being concluded between Yerevan and Baku.

According to the political scientist, it is important for Russia that stable peace in the South Caucasus be ensured based on the interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan rather than those of external players.

“Russia is guided by its own interests and clearly understands that a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is of interest today not so much to the parties to the conflict as to external players, each of whom is pursuing their own goals. It is important for Russia that stable peace in the Transcaucasia is ensured based on the interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan rather than those of external players. The West is in a hurry because it is trying to use Armenia as another front in the fight against Russia.

To completely untie its hands in this direction, the West needs to resolve the existing issues, after which there will be additional pressure to curtail Russia’s presence in this region. Russia has always been the only real defender of Armenia’s interests. The course that Pashinyan has been pursuing in recent years turns Armenia into an anti-Russian policy tool, and we can see very well how this ends in the example of Ukraine,” Sidorchik said.

According to the expert, the West will not stop any external threats against Yerevan.

“The authorities in Yerevan are clearly moving away from normal relations with Russia and towards cooperation with the West, including in the military sphere. Unfortunately, I believe Yerevan has already passed its point of no return. Therefore, despite all the comments from the Russian side, a decision will be made that will subsequently have an extremely negative impact on both the future of Armenia and the relations between Moscow and Yerevan. At the same time, we should understand that the West will not stop any external threats to Yerevan,” Sidorchik concluded.