Armenia before the elections. Pashinyan’s answer to Putin, with his neighbors

Yerevan and Baku are discussing the expansion of trade and economic ties

The Prime Minister of RA, having gone on a formal vacation after the official start of the NA election campaign, does not see the need for a referendum on the choice of the country’s location in the EU or EAEU at the moment. “…let’s hold it at the moment when there will be an objective need.”

Against the backdrop of the “inevitable transformation” of Russian-Armenian relations, Yerevan is not going to leave the EAEU, the leader of “Civil Pact” added, continuing. “I have expressed myself on this topic many times. We had working discussions with the President of Russia on this issue. I have publicly said that we will not put such a question on the agenda until the moment when there is no need for an election, de jure and de facto. I don’t agree with the wording “divorce” because sometimes we confuse interstate relations with marriage.

“Armenia respects all EAEU members as well as its own participation in the union, there is no intention to spoil relations with Russia, and working relations with Vladimir Putin are maintained, which are based on “mutual trust. We discussed the most pressing issues in a calm, respectful, friendly atmosphere.”

As for Zelensky’s statements at the “European Political Community” summit on May 4, which provoked a sharp reaction from Moscow, Pashinyan does not think that as the leader of the host country, he should engage in censorship or necessarily react to everything, because, allegedly, “this is a multi-faceted platform, and people should have the opportunity to express themselves. … In my presence, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a statement to various countries, but I don’t remember that Russia expected a response from me.”

As expected earlier, Pashinyan will not participate in the next meeting of the EAEU Supreme Council on May 28 due to the pre-election campaign, about which he has already informed the leaders of Russia (still on April 1) and Kazakhstan. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan will represent Armenia that day in Astana.

To remind, on May 9, in response to a journalist’s question, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to the Armenian authorities to hold a referendum between the European Union (where, let’s note, nobody called Yerevan as a full member or at least a candidate) and the Eurasian Economic Union, where the small Caucasian country receives significant privileges.

If the “pro-European” agenda is approved, Russia is ready to start a “civilized divorce” process. In any case, Moscow will support everything that is beneficial to the Armenian people, but the destructive processes in Ukraine started with the discussions about the reckless “European integration”.

The peculiarity of Armenia lies in the fact that behind the veil of “European” rhetoric cut off from reality, it is about introducing the republic in the “Turkic world” with the financial support of Brussels structures, believes journalist and political scientist Beniamin Matevosyan.

Yerevan and Baku are negotiating driving around the opening of direct border communication, bypassing the territory of Georgia. The resumption of cross-border trade can seriously change the structure of Armenia’s foreign economic relations. By modernizing the port of Baku, Azerbaijan aspires to take on the role of a key transit link between China, Central Asia, Turkey and Europe, and Armenia could get some privileges here (of course, “good behavior” and requirements in case of steady performance)։

Yerevan and Baku hold talks on the possibility of exporting aluminum foil, raw materials, ferromolybdenum, pets, brandy raw materials, tobacco and textile products from Armenia to Azerbaijan in January said RA Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan. According to Armenian media, the companies that import oil products to Armenia are related to big businessmen Khachatur Sukiasyan and with Samvel Aleksanyan.

Back in 2024, Aliyev announced: “Within the framework of expanding export opportunities, Baku allows one of the power transmission lines and gas pipelines to pass through the territory of Armenia. Armenia can potentially become a recipient of gas from Azerbaijan.”

The recent negotiations held in Aghveran (including business communities) and Armenian-Turkish contacts within the framework of the “Yerevan Dialogue” conference can be presented as a kind of “insurance mechanism” in case of further degradation of trade and economic relations with Russia.

And now Pashinyan announces the facilitation of bilateral trade by the Turkish side, and claims that Nagorno-Karabakh was never Armenian because nothing was allegedly built there. In turn, the leader of Azerbaijan warns the Armenian people of “big troubles” if “revanchist forces” come to power.

Probably, no one can accurately predict the voting results. Local polling agency Gallup International Association with data՝ slightly more than 24% of potential voters are currently ready to vote for the “Civil Pact” party. Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia” party is in second place with a significant advantage (more than 13%), followed by “Prosperous Armenia” led by businessman Garik Tsarukyan and “Armenia” alliance led by Second President Robert Kocharyan.

The pre-election race is of a very sharp nature, drastic steps are not ruled out, up to the attempt to withdraw “Strong Armenia” from the election contest, which will become another emphatic and demonstrative anti-Russian gesture.

Incessant searches in the regional offices of the party, wiretapping of phones, and arrests of activists are the favorite method of “law enforcement” operations, which is even more upsetting in light of the lack of court decisions.

The periodic references of CP functionaries to the “hybrid war” allegedly waged by the Kremlin do not find any serious confirmation either. Yesterday, the “heavy artillery” went into battle in the form of Starmer’s government, which accused the social engineering agency of creating “pro-Russian organizations” in Armenia and trying to influence the change of power.

In addition, the British linked the activities of “Dialog” (an interdepartmental center of competencies in the field of Internet-communication) with the office of the Russian president and Russian special services, claiming that this structure participated in campaigns to influence the internal politics of Armenia.

“London’s neo-colonial policy, which previously contributed to the coup d’état in Kiev, is now directed against Armenia as well,” the Russian Embassy in London said in a statement. It is the West that should refuse to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states in the Moldovan and Romanian scenarios.

On the contrary, the Armenian government actively uses the tricks of this “hybrid war”, especially in social networks, trying to change the unfavorable trends for it in big cities and, first of all, in the capital.

For example, before the start of the pre-election campaign and immediately after its start, the multi-year “hibernation” then became more active In 2020-2023 (on the eve of the previous parliamentary and Yerevan Council of Elders elections), dozens of pages were created on various social networks, which began, as if by order, to spread “blackening” propaganda materials directed against the “Civil Agreement” and its opponents.

It is noteworthy that thousands or even tens-of-thousands of dollars are spent on targeted advertising campaigns, but the corresponding statements are not preserved in the archive of the Meta Corporation, because their authors find ways not to accompany their writings with the “political advertisement” mark, to remain in the shadows, to hide personal information, etc., in general, which directly contradicts the rules of Facebook and other social networks.

However, as is usually the case in such cases, there are no “rules” when it comes to promoting the “right” candidate regardless, as was the case in Moldova; everyone pushed Maya Sandhu and her team forward in every possible way, using methods that were unjustifiably attributed to opponents.

Andrey Areshev

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

fondsk.ru

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