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Sabina Mammadli

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s expertise in finding excuses for his own actions or for the actions of the Armenian government, in general, comes as no surprise. The PM constantly finds ways to come out clean out of any buffoonery of his making. In this regard, Pashinyan always has the next excuse for Armenia’s defeat in the Second Karabakh War and over the lingering peace talks with Azerbaijan.

In a comment with Azernews, Russian political expert and editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko talked about the Armenian premier’s manipulations on the Armenian public, the secret behind his remaining in power, and the worsening Russian-Azerbaijani ties.

“Given that Nikol Pashinyan managed to maintain power even during the upheavals and riots that accompanied the capitulation of Armenia in the Second Karabakh war, and won the parliamentary elections, one comes to the conclusion that in terms of political stability and mimicry, Pashinyan has fully managed to effectively use the levers of manipulation of the Armenian society,” the political analyst stated.

According to Korotchenko, the main goal behind all this chicanery for Pashinyan is to prolong his stay in power for which he uses all sorts of political techniques, partly borrowing them from other political leaders such as French President Emanuel Macron, partly relying on Armenian political traditions.

“However, up to the present time, Pashinyan remains in power, and although there is opposition, the number of his supporters exceeds the number of opponents. That is why he remains in power and interprets any events in such a way as to turn them to his advantage or blame others for certain problems in order to avert any claims from him,” the pundit underlined.

Here, the editor-in-chief drew attention to the fact that a series of criminal cases were initiated with the consent of Pashinyan against a number of high-ranking Armenian military officers as a result of the defeat in the 44-day-long war as another manifestation of the PM throwing the blame off himself onto others.

Commenting on the remarks of the premier in the Armenian parliament claiming that the blame for the worsening of Armenian-Russian relations lies on the ex-president Serzh Sargsyan, the Russian analyst stated that the ties between Moscow and Yerevan were much better under his rule.

“Serzh Sargsyan was not an angel either. It was under him that the glorification of the Nazi criminal and collaborator Garegin Nzhdeh took place. However, as for accusations of worsening Russian-Armenian relations, Pashinyan has done a lot to worsen them,” he noted.

The pundit emphasized that the relations were far better before the Second Karabakh War, however, having committed another military provocation against Azerbaijan, Armenian politicians, and society expected Russian intervention.

“These hopes did not come true despite the active work of Armenian lobbyists in Russia who trumpeted the need to transfer several Russian airborne divisions in order for them to take part in hostilities on the side of the Armenian armies. Therefore, a surge of anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia occurred after the defeat of the Armenian army. Russia’s decision not to sacrifice the lives of its soldiers in the name of Armenian interests stood behind that,” the politician emphasized.

That was the turning point of the start of the anti-Russian sentiments in Yerevan and its active attempt to become closer to the West, Korotchenko underlined. Noting the frequent visits of Western politicians to Yerevan and their collaborations, the politician stressed that Pashinyan’s political survival relies on fulfilling the wishes of his Western curators.

“The break in relations with Moscow and the subsequent inevitable withdrawal of Yerevan from the CSTO, Armenia’s denial to participate in the CSTO drills and its deep engagement with the United States, France, the European Union, which are political opponents of Russia, demonstrate the conscious course of Pashinyan’s government,” Korotchenko remarked.

Besides, the pundit highlighted the critical importance of the North-South transport corridor for Russia, the successful functioning of which depends on stability in the South Caucasus.

“The continuous Armenian armed provocations both in Karabakh and on the border are aimed at stirring the situation and provoking an armed conflict which would earn Western support and the employment of a NATO mission to Karabakh. Therefore, the actions of Yerevan are completely hostile to the interests of both: Russia and Azerbaijan,” Korotchenko finalized.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

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