Putin Blackmails Armenia By CSTO Troops
Naira Hayrumyan
15:11 02/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
On March 12 Serzh Sargsyan will visit Moscow instead of Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan. Apparently, the earlier agenda with economic issues
to be discussed at the level of prime ministers has been replaced by
global political problems.
The relations between Armenia and Russia have changed considerably
over the past two or three years. First, the government of Armenia has
refused Russia’s insistent invitation to join the Eurasian Union and
the Customs Union. Second, Armenia is going to sign the Association
Agreement with the EU in November. Most importantly, 37% votes for
Raffi Hovannisian were described by Russian experts as votes for the
Western bias of Armenia.
Russia will now deploy a full kit of instruments to return Armenia.
One of them is gas, and Moscow wants to boost its price, and the more
obedient Serzh Sargsyan is, the less the price will grow. Furthermore,
Russia threatens to use its new instrument. It is the CSTO quick
reaction forces which may be deployed in Armenia to handle crisis.
In fact, Moscow blackmails Armenia by airborne landing. However, the
threat is mostly addressed to Serzh Sargsyan. It is a hint that the
troops may be deployed without informing him but officially his
request for deployment will be referred to.
This is a possible option, considering that such a step may corner
Serzh Sargsyan to make him accept any proposal that Russia will make.
Experts warned that Armenia should not have signed the agreement on
CSTO quick reaction forces and its mandate of intervention in domestic
affairs of member states. Once the forces are set up, their creators
will be impatient to try them out. Armenia may be the first in line.
The Russian press has already published opinions of experts that the
CSTO forces will protect Armenia from Azerbaijan and Turkey. What does
this have to do with domestic affairs? In Armenia there are no signs
of a violent revolution, a peaceful civic struggle is underway, and
the CSTO forces have nothing to do here. As to Turkey and Azerbaijan,
it is already the business of the Armenian army.
What will Serzh Sargsyan discuss with Moscow at CSTO’s gun point? In
his last visit to Moscow he bluntly criticized Russia for supplying
weapon to Azerbaijan. Will he state this time that Russia has no right
to blackmail Armenia by deployment of CSTO forces?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
