"France is the loser country of Europe" Russian pundit on Caliber.Az

Caliber.Az presents an interview with the Russian lawyer, public figure, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Yanis Yuksha.

- How do you assess Russia's policy in the South Caucasus in general, and against the background of Armenia's anti-Russian attitude in particular?

- It is no secret that Russia's foreign policy in the 1990s was a complete failure. In addition to being practically weak at the time, Russia was also indifferent to its neighbours. Unfortunately, there was an ingratiation of the relevant officials to Western leaders, and this led many countries of the former Soviet Union to set some anti-Russian trends in their favour. At a certain stage, we saw this in the example of Georgia, and now we are seeing an anti-Russian bias in Armenia as well.

But times are changing, and today Russia has turned from a regional power of the 90s into a superpower and can dictate terms in many spaces. I would say that today Russian policy is becoming much more reasonable and, if you like, even reasonably aggressive. Therefore, in any case, everything that concerns anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia is temporary. Russia is pursuing a progressive policy. Sooner or later, and most likely sooner, Armenia will return to the orbit of Russia's interests, since it is Moscow that can be the guarantor of its security. Even today, Armenia has not gone anywhere, despite certain statements and actions of its leadership.

-So, it is somewhat premature to talk about Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO?

- Certainly, there are some tendencies that Armenia may leave the CSTO, but I think that this will most likely not happen, even in spite of the loud statements from Yerevan. It is quite obvious that the West is actively persuading the Armenian leadership to place NATO military bases in Armenia in order to, simply put, occupy the country. But I believe there will be no real withdrawal of Armenia from the CSTO. Russia has been, is and will continue to be active in the Caucasus and will retain its positions in Armenia.

- What do you think about the expansion of the EU intelligence and surveillance mission in Armenia?

- I believe that not only Europeans but also Americans and British are active in the implementation of this goal with the sole purpose - to spite Russia. To realise this goal, the West uses traditional methods - bribery through Soros funds, creation of a different public opinion, rewriting history textbooks and influencing the minds of the new generation. But the resources of Western services and states are not endless, Europe itself is on the way to becoming a kind of autonomous farm with a half-destroyed economy, and it will further degrade if it does not change its policy in the foreseeable future. The West is building intrigues in Armenia, which is very unpleasant for Russia, but this policy cannot prevent the growth of pro-Russian sentiment in, say, Africa or the Arab world.

- How would you explain the intensification of military supplies to Armenia from France and India?

- This is business in the first place. After all, the most profitable business is the arms business. It is a big margin and profit, and most importantly, it is an opportunity to get the country hooked on certain types of high-tech military products. India as a member of BRICS is becoming a more and more active player in the issue of military supplies, and France, having been expelled from Africa, is simply trying to fit in somewhere. In my view, France is one of the losers in Europe because of its destructive policies

- What do you think about the prospects of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan?

- It's a difficult question. Armenia's policy is unpredictable. Russia, due to its interest in peace at its borders and in the Caucasus as a whole, will promote the signing of the treaty.