We should work, first of all, to improve our relations in our region  - Nikol Pashinyan

ArmInfo. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan spoke of  the history of relations between the Armenian people and Russia over the centuries and of the present-day tension, as well as of many people's feeling of being betrayed. 

"You know, if you emphasize the historical context, in that  historical context I would not so much emphasize the relations  between Armenia, the Armenian people and Russia, as I would emphasize  the relations between Armenia and Turkey or between Armenia and the  Turkish-speaking peoples of the region, or rather, Armenia's  relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Here are all the questions and  here are the answers to all the questions. And I bring forward this  logic that we should work, first of all, to improve our relations in  our region, with whom we have good relations, to make those relations  better. This refers to Georgia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and  create those relations and try to move forward step by step with  those countries with which relations are strained or there are no  relations.

"It is a very important circumstance and, frankly speaking, I do not  have the answer to that question and I am trying find the answer to  the question what Armenia should do. It is very important to what  extent we will be able to formulate regional interests, moreover, in  this context, we can understand regional interests a little narrower  and a little wider, in the context of the South Caucasus and in a  wider context.

"Much depends on to what extent we will be able to formulate regional  interests, because when there are no formulated regional interests,  tensions begin to arise between the interests of sovereign countries,  which, if not managed, turn into escalations and wars. But the  correct and competent way to manage these tensions is to have an  understanding of regional interests, because you know, we cannot make  all the countries and peoples of the region to be identical, with  identical thinking, identical ideas, perceptions and so on, and there  is no need to do that, because what becomes a cause of contradictions  can sometimes become a cause of complementarity, not to mention that  these cultures, histories, traditions can complement each other.

"But it is necessary to find that formula of how to formulate and  arrange them so that they do not collide, but complement one another,  emphasize one another, maybe strengthen one another.

"In other words, it's not so that we have defined the task but we  cannot solve it, we just have not defined the task, that is, we still  do not have the title. Now I think we should have that title and try  to create content under that title. I cannot say what that content  will and should be like, because it can only be the result of  collaboration and joint work. I cannot boast that we are doing this  work sufficiently in the region, but I think that if we stay within  the framework of the agreements that are already known and that I  have talked about, the chances of having something like this will  increase."