Fact: What Caused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Isolation?

The newspaper "Fact" writes: "The recent EAEU summit did not seem to have a positive outcome for Armenia. This conclusion is not based on unverified information, as representatives of the government often claim when we critically address Nikol Pashinyan's policies on various issues. The issue is not even that Pashinyan was effectively 'isolated' in Nur-Sultan, aside from receiving awards from the leaders of all EAEU member states. This can somewhat be attributed to procedural irregularities.

Nikol Pashinyan is frustrated for a much more serious reason, which led him not to make any posts about the EAEU summit on his Facebook page or even mention the commemorative session that took place in Nur-Sultan at the beginning of the government’s last session, which, by the way, was presided over by the Prime Minister of Armenia himself.

I believe the Prime Minister of Armenia is primarily concerned with the fact that he is unable to overcome the crisis observed in Armenian-Russian relations since the revolution. In the matter of the CSTO Secretary General, Armenia has effectively conceded its positions, failing to secure Moscow's support over the months. Two important figures in the March 1 case are in Russia, and there is no indication that they will be extradited to Armenia; moreover, according to credible reports, former head of the National Security Service Mihran Poghosyan has been granted political asylum in our allied country.

All these facts are not coincidences and serve to reinforce Moscow's attitude towards the new Armenian government, which cannot be labeled as warm or allied. The possibility of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan in Nur-Sultan was not disclosed by former officials or the opposition press; this news was circulated by Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, and was later echoed by representatives of the Armenian government. However, that meeting did not take place in Nur-Sultan, and it is at least unclear what the representatives of the government are 'mumbling' about the press and opposition.

Of course, it is a well-known truth that the best defense is attack, but I believe that in this case, the authorities should answer what is happening in Armenian-Russian relations, why they have lost their normalcy, which could pose serious challenges to Armenia's security and also to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process. The authorities continue to remain silent, but it is evident that the policy of pleasing Putin has exhausted itself, because the Prime Minister's public rhetoric bears little relation to actual policy, resulting in the deepening crisis in Armenian-Russian relations."

For more details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.