The Armenian voter has already understood that Pashinyan-style one-sided and nowhere-leading “Euro-curts” are extremely pointless and even dangerous for Armenia.

Written by former RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.

“Last year, Nikol Pashinyan requested that one of the meetings of the European Political Community be held in Yerevan, purposefully timing it just one month before the decisive parliamentary elections in Armenia.

The calculation was obvious. to use the presence of European leaders to raise the domestic political profile. However, what was already a short-sighted decision at that time has turned into a political burden today. If one thing is clear, it is that this meeting will work more against Pashinyan than in his favor. The Armenian voter has already understood that Pashinyan’s one-sided and nowhere-leading “Euro-curts” are extremely pointless and even dangerous for Armenia.

The regional situation has sharply deteriorated. There is a war going on in neighboring Iran, tensions have multiplied, and Armenia has found itself in the most vulnerable position. Although the European community is not directly involved in the war, it is clearly negative towards Iran. The negative attitude of the official EU towards Russia is also evident. Moreover, the Pashinyan-Putin meeting held in Moscow the other day added more fuel to the fire when, without maintaining diplomatic niceties, Pashinyan was actually faced with a choice: Europe or the Eurasian Union.

Under these conditions, hosting a high-level meeting of the European political community is no longer a political advantage, but a risk. Armenia needs a careful, calculated foreign policy, not pre-election demonstration steps.

It is hard not to come to the conclusion that if he had such an opportunity today, Pashinyan would try to cancel the scheduled meeting in Yerevan. But he can’t. And now, what was intended as a personal political advantage, threatens to turn into another proof of how power-hungry can harm national interests. Especially since economic dependence on Russia, which has increased tenfold during the years of Pashinyan’s rule, will hit every Armenian in the event of a strained relationship.”

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