Yerevan envious of Baku’s effective cooperation with Russia, West alike

The intensification of contacts between the Armenian leadership and high-ranking Western military officials is of interest to Armenian observers and experts.

Some see this as a sign of a change in Armenia's military-political vector, especially against the background of a certain "lethargy" in Yerevan's relations with other partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Others see neither the military-technical, political nor logistical conditions for such a change.

Earlier, a delegation led by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and state National Guard Commander Brigadier General Michael Venerdi visited Yerevan. The guests were received by the Armenian Prime Minister, the Chief of Defence and other officials.

At the same time, Chief of the Armenian General Staff Edward Asryan visited Germany, where he attended the annual conference of European armies. Within the framework of the conference, Asryan held meetings with the US Ground Forces Command in Europe. A few days earlier, Defence Minister Suren Papikyan had paid a working visit to France and held talks with the minister.

According to Artak Zakaryan, a former deputy defence minister and member of the Republican Party, the general change in the military-political vector has been visible since 2018, i.e. after the change of power.

"We saw that first there was a change in the political paradigm, in the system of values. And after the 44-day war, we have seen attempts to revise the politico-military direction. However, this will not lead to any serious results in the future. When a small state allegedly tries to play on the contradictions of world powers to ensure its own security, it becomes a victim of those contradictions," Zakaryan said.

As a result, none of these powers are solving the security problem of this small state, as can be seen, today in Armenia.

In Zakaryan's view, this is solely the fault of the "semi-literate authorities". This does not exclude the possibility that Armenian officials will be welcomed "with open arms" in the capitals of the leading powers. They will be honoured in France, Russia and the US. However, it is necessary to find out what they are discussing and what their purpose is.

"If we think that France sleeps and sees how to strengthen Armenia's defence capabilities, we are mistaken. The same applies to the US. After all, we remember how indifferent the West was during the 44-day war. No one did anything to stop the bloodshed," the former official added.

Today, according to the former deputy minister, the West does not hide its intentions to oust Russia from the South Caucasus and Armenia in particular. Western experts are openly talking about this. The Armenian authorities are a tool in the hands of the authors of this strategy.

At the same time, it is obvious that the beneficiaries of Russia's expulsion will be Türkiye and Azerbaijan. This should not be taken as a call to sever ties with the West. That would be the biggest mistake.

However, it is necessary to understand what, where and with whom to discuss, and what agenda to serve. Zakaryan is convinced that the current authorities do not understand this.

Armenia could count on some minor military assistance from the West if it were to declare a break with Russia and swear allegiance to the West. However, it is not difficult to predict the consequences of such a scenario.

For his part, former Armed Armed Forces officer Narek Nersisyan noted the lack of logical and other preconditions for large-scale military-technical cooperation with Western players.

Nersisyan believes that Azerbaijan makes much better use of its ties with Western players. Being on quite good terms with Moscow, Baku simultaneously manages to protect its interests in the dialogue with the West, to receive various privileges, military assistance, etc. Armenia, on the other hand, does not have a specific strategy.