Tomorrow Nikol Pashinyan will visit Moscow and meet with Vladimir Putin. The visit was announced by Putin during his big press conference a few days ago. He said there is no collapse in the Armenian-Russian relations and it is necessary to further develop what was created by the leaders of the previous government, considering the new global and regional reality and he is going to talk to the Armenian prime minister about this.
Putin also said that Armenia is Russia’s closest ally and friend in the world and the region. It is hard to tell what these words mean to Putin because Russia has a unique understanding allies. For example, the anti-Armenian propaganda would not stop in Russia, including on state-run TV channels. On the other hand, they do not bargain the price of gas or CSTO secretary general’s issue with closest allies. They discuss more important issues.
Armenia is currently trying to push Russia into the field of partnership, changing the quality and nature of relations which has placed the Russian government in a state of uncertainty. It is heard in Putin’s words. On the one hand, he is speaking about building up what had been achieved by the former government which was a unilateral vassal relationship by handing Armenia’s main assets to Russia. On the other hand, Putin is speaking about the need to take into account global and regional realities.
Meanwhile, these relations are serious and are related to the vital interests of Russia and Armenia. In addition, it is obvious in some directions that it will be difficult for Russia without Armenia. Hence, the topic of conversation between the heads of state of Russia and Armenia must not be the issue of raising price of gas but direct defense and financial assistance to Armenia.
There is a fundamental issue which is impossible to bypass in the context of new global and regional setting, the issue of revision of the 1921 Russian-Turkish agreement. Does Russia intend to revise the agreement and its consequences which is the basis of problems in the Armenian-Russian relations? At the end of the day, despite official silence, Armenia has not forgot not only about the consequences of this agreement but also about the atrocities committed in Armenia by the Russian authorities and army in 1920-1923 together with the Turkish units.
Here is the issue of the “closest ally” and the Armenian-Russian relations.