If you want one example of Armenia’s problems in shaking itself free of Russia’s influence, look at its rail system. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly called for Russia to show flexibility and potentially transfer the concession to a third country acceptable to both sides. On 24 August, he again urged Russia to sell its concession rights to a mutually acceptable third party.
Russia has not answered, and it is unlikely to accept the idea. It has been running an escalating campaign to make life hard for Pashinyan, who was reelected in June. Putin makes no secret of this; indeed, he seems to delight in the (considerable) influence he can bring to bear.
That was clear at the September 1 meeting between the Russian and Armenian leaders at Bishkek, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The reason is Armenia’s pursuit of closer ties with the European Union.
Read the full article on the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Emil Avdaliani is a Research Fellow at the Turan Research Center.