Political scientist: If Russian-Armenian relations are destroyed, Turkey will take Russia`s place

ArmInfo. If Russian-Armenian relations are completely destroyed, Turkey will take Russia's place. Political scientist and party member Yervand Bozoyan stated this on September 8 in a conversation with reporters outside the courthouse where the hearing of the arrested Mother Armenia representatives began.

According to him, the planned individual meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow is important because it is there that the country's future will be decided. "Not everyone understands what this means. After all, if Russian-Armenian relations are destroyed, Turkey will take Russia's place. The Armenian authorities are trying to achieve this in stages. However, the Russian side understands this well, so it immediately ruled out this option," Bozoyan believes.

The political scientist also believes the arrests of the opposition are no coincidence. According to him, they are a tool in Pashinyan's hands in negotiations with Russia, given that the Armenian side has no other serious trump card. "Pashinyan is trying to turn these arrests into a trump card in negotiations with Putin. But I believe that the Russian side has no intention of getting involved in such processes and is focusing on more real and immediate advantages. Therefore, I suspect that Pashinyan could 'jump off' here," said the Mother Armenia party member.

According to Bozoyan, the Russian side is trying to do everything possible to ensure that these processes are not carried out at its expense. "Russia is saying exactly that if Armenia joins the EU, it won't be at the expense of its resources, which means that the preferences (as a member of the EAEU - ed.) the country enjoys today will no longer apply," the politician explained.

Speaking about the price Armenia will pay for this choice, he urged a reminder of what is happening in Ukraine today. He also called attention to the fact that none of Armenia's neighboring countries are EU members, and therefore called the Republic's desire to move closer to the European Union yet another gamble.

As a reminder, on January 9, 2025, the Armenian government approved a draft law on the start of the process of joining the European Union, proposed by the "Eurakve" civic initiative. The draft was sent to the Armenian parliament for approval. On March 26, the parliament adopted it in its final reading and sent it to the president for signature. The document was signed on April 4 of that year. Moscow stated that Russia had conveyed to Armenia that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was impossible. On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to journalists, suggested that Armenia decide on its membership in the EU and the EAEU as soon as possible, expressing its readiness to "begin a civilized divorce" if necessary. Yerevan responded by stating that it would leave the EAEU when it deemed it necessary. And on May 29, the heads of state of four of the five EAEU member states adopted a resolution recommending that Armenia hold a referendum on its continued membership in the EAEU. That same day, the Russian president stated that Armenia could not afford to sit on two chairs and needed to make a choice as soon as possible.

Following the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on September 1 in Bishkek, an agreement was announced to continue negotiations on problematic issues in Moscow.