“Pashinyan put Armenia up for geopolitical auction”: buyers lower the price: EADaily

Armenia and the United States establish military cooperation. Washington brings his adviser into the army in the Transcaucasian republic. State Department representatives say the adviser will arrive by the end of the year and will reportedly help Armenia’s defense department reform the armed forces, while maintaining contact with the US military department and the US Embassy.

Yerevan emphasizes that they are already receiving advisory support, but that they are trying to expand it, Izvestia reports. Military exercises became regular. Therefore, from July 15 to 24, the Eagle Partner 2024 maneuver was held near Yerevan, with the participation of units of the Armenian Armed Forces, US ground forces in Europe and Africa, and the Kansas National Guard.

At first it was said that the training would work on interaction in international peacekeeping missions. Later, however, the US European Command said the troops were learning how to deal with riots.

There have been far more important journeys recently. At the beginning of July, the head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan attended the NATO summit held in Washington. At the same time, American officials visit Yerevan almost without interruption.

So, just in July, the US top adviser for negotiations in the Caucasus visited the capital of Armenia Louis BonoUS Assistant Secretary of State Uzra Zeyahead of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Poweras well as a delegation of congressmen led by the Senate Roger Wicker.

Finally, at the end of July it became clear that the Appropriations Committee of the US Senate approved the allocation of $65 million to Armenia in 2025, which will be used, among other things, for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the republic. At the same time, the European Union decided to give Yerevan €10 million in military aid; the money will be useful for setting up a tent camp for an Armenian military battalion.

“Security is becoming an important element of our relationship, we are interested in expanding the dialogue,” – stressed the head of European diplomacy Joseph Borrel.

Interestingly, American officials do not hide their goals. US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien at the end of July he admitted: Washington is creating conditions for destroying traditionally close relations between Armenia and Russia. According to him, the Transcaucasian republic is completely dependent on Moscow in matters of economy and energy; the United States would like to “proliferate” this situation.

O’Brien also confirmed that the American administration is trying to ensure that Central Asian countries have access to global markets, bypassing Russia and China; for this reason, transport routes are being developed in the Transcaucasus, including through the borders of Armenia.

Yerevan ignores CSTO doctrine

Armenia’s relations with Russia and its allies, on the other hand, remain difficult. Therefore, this summer, at the request of the Armenian side, the mission of the Russian border guards, which provided security at the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport, ended with an official farewell ceremony on July 31. It was agreed that the Russian border guards would be removed from the Armenian regions adjacent to Azerbaijan, including from Tavush, Gegharkunik and Syunik regions.

In addition, Armenia continues to follow the policy of breaking with the CSTO. In early August, it was known that Yerevan refused to participate in two military exercises of the group. Some movements are expected to take place in mid-August in Novosibirsk, others in September in Kyrgyzstan.

Before Nikol Pashinyan reported that the republic had frozen its participation in the CSTO, Armenia also refused to pay a fee for participation in the association in 2024, and, apparently, it is not going to send money next year more.

There have been several important statements by Armenian politicians recently.

Therefore, Pashinyan said in early July that Yerevan is ready for a strategic partnership with the United States. At the same time, the Armenian leadership continues to criticize Moscow’s actions. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan saying that Russia first removed Nagorno-Karabakh and then moved to Azerbaijan.

Russian diplomats respond by saying that the West is trying to turn Armenia into a second Ukraine. Official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova confirmed that the United States is placing NATO standards of armed forces on Yerevan in order to have more leverage on the domestic and foreign policy of the republic:

“Such measures by Yerevan, which are becoming systemic, undermine the functioning of established methods of cooperation in the field of security.”

Against this background, at the end of July, Rosselkhoznadzor found an increased content of pesticides in Armenian vegetables and fruits, and work with several exporters was suspended. In response, the Armenian government promised to introduce additional laboratory control of products.

What the experts say

Researcher at the Institute of Applied Political Research (Armenia), Candidate of Historical Sciences Sergey Melkonyan noting that the interests of the United States and the current leadership of Armenia converge:

“The Americans want to launch the East-West transport corridor project, which will connect Central Asia with Europe, bypassing Iran and Russia. It is assumed that communication will go through Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea. To do this, Yerevan must come to an agreement with Baku and Ankara, and the borders in the region are open. The Armenian leadership considers the project attractive, so it is ready to make even unilateral concessions to establish peace. “

A political scientist Arshaluys Mgdesyan believes that Pashinyan’s team is trying to find new friends:

“Armenian authorities believe that security guarantees from Russia have not worked, so they are trying to attract new partners. Here we can recall contracts for the purchase of arms from India, ties with France, and now the contact with the United States has increased. However, it is difficult to find a second Russia; I don’t think any of the world’s major powers will take responsibility to protect Armenia. “

Russian political scientist Andrey Areshev says that Armenia is steadily turning to the West:

“I would say that the Armenian authorities have put the republic up for a geopolitical auction; this is done against the background, as they believe, of the weakening of Russia’s position in the Transcaucasus. I do not think that these trades will bring any success; it is unlikely that the United States or anyone else will take on duties to defend Armenia. Collaboration will most likely take place on individual issues and specific projects.”

And to continue the topic, Hrayr Yeremyan’s statement on the Telegram channel “Comrade General”:

“The 2020 war is usually called a 44-day war. But, in my opinion, this is a misunderstanding, because the war is not over yet and its results have not been finally achieved.

From the height of today, taking into account the meaning of the negotiation process, the position of the main countries, the Statement that is still valid on November 09, 2020, subject to the fall of Artsakh, we can conclude that the goal of the war was the passage through Syunik. Some call it unrestricted communication, others call it corridor, but the meaning does not change. Everything now revolves around who will be in control.

Iran alone opposes the corridor, which would be impossible without the surrender of 5 regions, and as a result, the distance between Nakhichevan and the western border of Azerbaijan was reduced to 40 km. And even before the war, the entire basis of the reconciliation process was around the movement of 5 sectors (and the principles of Madrid, and Kazan, and the plan. Lavrov). As a result, the goal in the form of a corridor has been there ever since the fall of the USSR.

The essence of what is happening today, in my opinion, is that the outcome of the 2020 war has not been fully achieved. Through the hands of Nikol and his henchmen, they want to put Armenia in such conditions where it could not be a threat to the operation of the Zangezur corridor, the decision to open it, apparently, was made by the powers that be. .

And in order for the Armenians to completely accept it, it was necessary, firstly, to be discouraged due to heavy losses, and secondly, to surrender on the Goris-Kapan road, dominant heights, interstate roads , gas pipes, internet cables in Tavush area. .”