Analysts treat Yerevan's influence on Azerbaijani border as minimal

The Armenian party discussed the deployment of Russian peacemakers on the border with Azerbaijan even before the parliamentary elections in Armenia, but the main negotiations on this issue are underway between Moscow and Baku, analysts in Yerevan believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Armenian authorities offered to deploy Russian peacemakers in the questionable sections of the border located in the Gegarkunik Region.

The Pashinyan's government had discussed the issue of deployment of Russian military personnel in the Gegarkunik Region with the command of the Russian Army well before the elections, Alexander Iskandaryan, a political analyst and the director of the Caucasus Institute, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The political analyst believes that Armenia has no resources to defend its national interests in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Andrias Gukasyan, a deputy head of the Association of Political Analysts of Armenia, believes that negotiations, in fact, are conducted between Russia and Azerbaijan, while Pashinyan only plays the role of an executor. "From the viewpoint of the negotiation format, neither the elections, nor subsequent events in this regard have any significance. Decisions on the demarcation and delimitation of the border had been made well before the elections. Pashinyan needed the elections in order to shift the responsibility onto the voters. And all those who voted for Pashinyan had signed with him the last year's November 9 trilateral agreement. This was the main task that the Kremlin was facing at these elections, which is why they used the factor of Robert Kocharyan. They intimidated the voters with external and internal threats, forcing them to vote for surrender," Mr Gukasyan has emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 24, 2021 at 04:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.