Fears Unfounded: Recent Developments in Moscow Will Not Significantly Impact Armenia's Internal Politics

At the end of the year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his willingness to hold snap parliamentary elections. However, forces demanding his resignation have not welcomed this proposal, believing that under Pashinyan's leadership, elections would not be fair. Several extra-parliamentary forces have reacted positively to this statement, considering it the only optimal solution for the current situation.

Will the negotiations and their outcomes that took place in Moscow on January 11 accelerate processes in the domestic political arena as well? Robert Ghévondyan, a representative of the 'For the Republic' party and a political analyst, stated in an interview with First News that he does not think the events in Moscow will have a significant impact on Armenia's internal political situation, as the players in the domestic arena have already positioned themselves, and the struggle is for specific roles. He said, 'The authorities are trying to regain legitimacy through snap elections, while marginal forces that were previously in power are trying to prevent the continuity of democratic processes, as they would not be able to present themselves as a governing force under conditions of lasting democratic processes.'

According to him, these forces attempt to reshape the traditions that existed in the past. 'The logic of assigning authority, opposition, and other players in the political arena is being made relevant again.'

Petros Makeyan, the president of the 'Democratic Homeland' party, believes that what happened in Moscow will not significantly affect internal political processes. 'We all feared that there could be a new surprise and imposition, fortunately, those expectations did not materialize,' he said in an interview with First News.

At the same time, he expressed surprise at the propaganda of '16 ±' that began circulating after the meeting. 'Essentially, Nikol countered Putin, stating that the conflict is still ongoing and the Minsk Group should handle the issue of Artsakh's status. Their reaction was astonishing in this context. They think we should obediently follow what Putin said. It turns out these forces represent Russia's interests and not Armenia's. Nikol, in his defeated mental state, managed to express these thoughts, while they are campaigning against it.'

Makeyan observed that fundamentally, nothing has changed significantly, and the existing fears have not been justified.