Armenian authorities  doing everything possible to deteriorate  relations with Russia - Robert Kocharyan

ArmInfo.  The Armenian authorities are doing everything possible to deteriorate relations with Russia, as stated by Robert Kocharyan, leader of the Armenia bloc and second President of the Republic of Armenia, during a  campaign in Vayk on May 25.

According to him, Russia is not only a force capable of resolving  security issues, but also a crucial economic partner for Armenia.  Meanwhile, approximately 80 percent of the well-being of Armenian  citizens is tied to the Russian Federation. "You cannot escape this  fact, yet the authorities are consistently steering things toward a  deterioration of relations with Russia. I do not recall Russian  officials making such harsh statements toward Armenia at any point  since our independence," the former president said. He noted that  Moscow has shifted away from diplomatic language toward direct hints  that Armenia needs to "get its act together."

Kocharyan emphasized that the foreign policy of any state must, first  and foremost, serve that nation's own core interests, whether in  terms of security or the economy. Foreign policy has no other  purpose, he argued.  In the area of security, he noted that foreign  policy implementation requires evaluating all risks and prioritizing  relations with the most critical states. If security threats exist,  they must be neutralized by leveraging the capabilities of friendly  nations.

From an economic security standpoint, he added, a country must assess  the benefits of cooperating with specific nations and blocs and  actively develop those relations. Kocharyan concluded by noting that  for centuries, Iran, Turkey, and Russia have competed for influence  in this region. Given that Russia is the only power capable of  countering Turkish influence regionally, the authorities are  escalating tensions instead of maintaining a balance between these  actors and using Moscow to contain Ankara's influence—especially  since no other country can serve this purpose.

It is worth noting that, in support of Kocharyan's statements, Garnik  Danielyan, a member of the National Assembly from the opposition  "Armenia" faction, reported on his social media page about the return  of Armenian strawberries. He noted that Armenian truck drivers and  entrepreneurs report that strawberries exported to Russia were sent  back from the Bagratashen checkpoint.  According to him, the  phytosanitary service has banned the export, citing the presence of  an unacceptable substance. "It should be noted that these same  entrepreneurs had not encountered similar issues before, and the  exported fruits and vegetables met all standards," Garnik Danielyan  wrote. He noted that this decision caught the entrepreneurs off guard  and warned of significant losses in the event of spoilage. According  to the MP, cherry exports are expected to resume soon, although  producers fear a similar decision could be made regarding their  products. Garnik Danielyan believes that the incident is related to  the deterioration of Armenian-Russian relations. "We have repeatedly  warned that, given that a significant portion of our agricultural  products are sold on the Russian and EAEU markets, statements and  actions that damage relations are unacceptable," he noted.

The MP also criticized the Minister of Economy, recalling his  statements about searching for alternative markets. "For them,  politics is a field for adventure. Meanwhile, our entrepreneurs and  citizens are suffering enormous losses," Garnik Danielyan stated.