Currently, Anti-Russian Sentiments Prevail in Armenia: Zatulin

Konstantin Zatulin, the head of the Russian Federation’s Commission for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, responded to questions from Hraparak.am.

Below is an excerpt from the interview:

- Last week, meetings took place in Prague between Pashinyan and Aliyev, as well as Pashinyan and Erdogan. It was announced that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to recognize each other's territorial integrity, and EU civilian observers will be deployed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. First, regarding the observers: how effective do you find this?

- The decision regarding civilian observers aligns with the EU and the West's desire to push Russia out of the negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and continue it under Western mediation. Whether or not this Western mediation will be beneficial for Armenia, I will not evaluate right now, but civilian observers, unlike the Russian peacekeepers currently in Artsakh, are unarmed individuals. I believe that the EU and the US would like to minimize Russian influence in the region, particularly in Armenia, where public opinion blames Russia for failing to offer armed resistance to Azerbaijan. It seems to me that people in Armenia need to understand that, in certain respects, any game is possible, including dramatic ones, but one needs to understand what one is trading off. On one hand, there is the desire among Armenians to restore their territorial integrity, to return Azerbaijani armed forces to their original positions, from which they advanced a few kilometers; on the other hand, there is the opinion of the residents of Artsakh, who believe that Armenia is signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan on the condition that it relinquishes responsibility for Artsakh and leaves its fate to Russia and Azerbaijan.

Currently, anti-Russian sentiments are prevalent in Armenia because Russia is not commencing a war against Azerbaijan and Turkey, while the Armenians of Artsakh see no protection other than the Russian peacekeepers and no longer have hope in Armenia. That is the whole story. We are not rushing to start a war against Azerbaijan or Turkey because our position is that a peace treaty should be signed and border incidents should be excluded. However, this does not eliminate the issue of Artsakh—the status of Artsakh and the right of Artsakh Armenians to self-determination, which has been on the agenda of international negotiations for so many years. We have the impression that this is not even the main issue for the current authorities of Armenia.

- How do you see the fate of Artsakh? Is it realistic for Artsakh to turn to Russia, and would Russia agree to accept it into its fold?

- Of course, Artsakh is in a complex situation and is prepared for any option; the question is that Russia, under the current circumstances, cannot incorporate Artsakh into itself. We cannot take on such responsibility now because it would mean a direct confrontation with Azerbaijan and Turkey. After all, we are not demanding that Armenia side with us in the conflict with Ukraine. I do not count, of course, that some volunteers are currently fighting on the Russian side. The society of Armenia is demanding that we immediately begin military operations against Azerbaijan, which has violated Armenia’s border. But we understand our role in stopping those actions, both in Artsakh and at Armenia's borders. However, it seems to me that Armenia should first resolve its internal issues. There has been excitement recently regarding Pelosi's visit and various meetings. We do not object to this; we understand that Armenia is looking for options to ensure its security, but we hope that reason will prevail while seeking options that maintain close ties with Russia. What is happening today shows that certain phenomena indicate that everything related to Russia is being interpreted quite lightly, and no reaction is being given to this.