Russian special services push Yerevan into corner
"Armenia is no longer Russia's ally"

POLITICS  24 November 2022 - 17:57

While the CSTO summit was held in Yerevan the day before with the participation of leaders of the bloc's member states, Telegram channels close to Russian special services turned their attention to the anti-Russian hysteria stirring up not only in a large part of the Armenian society but also the ruling political elite.

For example, the Siloviki TG channel wrote that it was no longer surprising that pro-Western sentiment reigns in Armenia.

"What is curious about the past anti-Russian rallies is its policing: a clear sign that the authorities are not at all opposed to anti-Moscow rallies under yellow and blue flags in their capital city.

Some may rightly ask the question: does Russia need to continue to keep a military base in Armenia under such circumstances?

We have previously talked about precedents demonstrating the loyalty of the highest echelons of the Armenian government to the West. Guarding those who shout "Russia is the enemy!" is just another argument in a list of evidence that Yerevan stopped seeing Russia as a friend long ago. Among such evidence is the fact that Armenia passed over to the West information on the defence sphere of CSTO, Russian armaments, and their technical characteristics, our military base in Gyumri. We are transferring military educational materials and even personal information about the students in our military academies to the West while training the Armenian military. It resembles a Trojan horse, doesn't it? In addition to, frankly speaking, spying on our military establishments, the Americans have begun to open training bases of their own. And judging by what is published, the overseas guests had a permit for this from PM Pashinyan himself.

If someone is surprised by the fact of anti-Russian activities in Yerevan, one can only be happy for him, because he lives under the illusion that the Armenians are still our brothers," the Siloviki TG channel writes.

For its part, the Katarsis TG channel, drawing its subscribers' attention to the Siloviki post, agreed that Armenia was no longer an ally of Russia.

"While Russia is involved in complex geopolitical processes, Armenia under Nikol Pashinyan has quickly and confidently transformed from a historical ally of Russia into a country that is actually pro-Western. While remaining, as you will recall, a member (even temporary chairman) of the CSTO, the one that Armenian officials regularly blame for everything in the world.

Ministers and MPs in Armenia are now such that there is no such thing as too much for them. Pashinyan does not yet seek open hostility with his great historical overlord. But he does not seem to be rejecting it. How else to understand the recent demarche? The Armenian leader exchanged an opportunity to speak with Putin and Aliyev at the EURASEC forum for the demonstrative visit of Nancy Pelosi. The Armenian authorities even removed billboards thanking the Russian president, who two years ago stopped the war with Azerbaijan, in time for the visit of the prominent democrat. A war that the Armenians lost de facto at the time. All hopes of returning Armenia to the primordial, i.e. pro-Russian course under the current leaders disappeared after the arrival of Pelosi.

Although everything was clear before that when Pashinyan's officials were flying to Washington and Paris one after another with understandable aims, and then the aggravation on the border began. For which not only Azerbaijan but also the CSTO was immediately blamed! So it turns out that it is now not quite an ally and not at all a friend in the alliance with Russia? Promising to replace the Russian military with the OSCE monitoring mission, as well as French troops. Let's draw conclusions," Katarsis writes.

Finally, another TG channel close to the Russian security services, "The Provisional Government", writes: "Anti-Russian hysteria has returned to Armenia. A rally was held in Yerevan, where the crowd waved Ukrainian flags and chanted: 'Russia - out of Armenia!', 'Russia - enemy'. In addition, the protesters declared Vladimir Putin persona non grata.

The most unfortunate thing is that this has been the norm in Armenia of late. Endless anti-Russian rallies, attacks on pro-Russian bloggers, media campaigns in the media and telegram channels close to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Even on Armenian state television, the level of hatred towards Russia and Vladimir Putin personally has risen to unprecedented levels. And this after long years of friendship between the two countries.

Some optimists earlier suggested that this was a short-term "spike in Russophobia" on the part of the Armenian authorities, triggered by Nancy Pelosi's visit. Such a curtsey towards the US. However, this version does not fit any longer. Some deeper changes took place. One can understand some negative sentiments or dissatisfaction with some episodes in relations between the two countries. There is a democracy, after all. But now it turns out that both the Armenian state authorities and the police are not only not preventing the international quarrel, but are only fuelling it. From the outside, it looks like Armenia has ceased to be an ally and partner of Russia, and Pashinyan and Co have taken an openly anti-Russian course. The politicians will leave, but the enmity will remain... And it will be very, very difficult to restore trust between our countries afterwards".

If we add to these publications yesterday's loud statement of State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fedorov, obviously sent from high offices of power structures of Russia, that "Armenia is an illegal state with which, according to the law, the issue needs to be resolved because of Russophobia", the picture is more than clear – Moscow considers Pashinyan a protege of Washington and therefore, using the Russophobic policy of Yerevan, openly hints to Armenia: its survival hangs in the balance.

Caliber.Az