Armenia And Russia’s Arm-Length Friendship

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA’S ARM-LENGTH FRIENDSHIP

EurasiaNet.org, NY
June 4 2013

June 4, 2013 – 1:43pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze

Armenia may be Moscow’s best bet for a sovereign friend south of
the Caucasus mountains, but careful political maneuvering by Yerevan
suggests that Armenia is committed to maintaining personal space in
this relationship and to keeping its options open.

New Russian ballistic missiles were reportedly moved to the Gyumri
base, the only remaining military outpost for Russia in the undisputed
part of the South Caucasus. Armenia also lets the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) — Russia’s response to NATO — hold war
games, move troops and set up training facilities on its territory.

Plans are reportedly also underway to set up the CSTO’s joint air
force headquarters in Armenia.

All of this prompts internal complaints that Armenia is becoming
little more than a Russian garrison, with national security, economy
and culture all tied to Moscow.

A closer look, however, reveals that Armenia is trying not to have
all its strings attached to Moscow and remains, in fact, arguably
the most versatile of the South Caucasus states when it comes to
alliance-building.

It maintains a military partnership with Moscow as a deterrent against
a potential conflict with Azerbaijan, but also has a non-committal
partnership with NATO. It listens and nods to Moscow’s exhortations
to join the Eurasian Union, the Moscow-led customs-club answer to
the European Union, but proceeds with the seemingly contradictory
goal of an association agreement with the EU. Armenia also manages
to have a strategic friendship with Iran, which provides tourists,
investment and energy supplies.

Navigating through major geopolitical currents, Armenia is not
sailing into any of the big harbors. And goes its way without any
big statements.

No doubt, Yerevan is under pressure from Moscow to join the Eurasian
Union experiment, and more Russian guns and rubles will reduce the
wiggle room for Armenia, but, so far, it sure seems to make use of
every square centimeter of what it has.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress