Difficult to Have Positive Expectations from Putin-Pashinyan Meeting, Political Commentator

The current political situation in Armenia prompts restrained evaluations regarding the expectations from the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, says political commentator and expert at the Strategic Culture Foundation, Andrey Areshyev.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has traveled to Moscow for a working visit to attend the EAEU anniversary summit. A bilateral meeting between Putin and Pashinyan is scheduled within the framework of this visit.

"It is hard to say how successful today’s events will be, including within the EAEU framework, considering Nikol Pashinyan's openly destructive stance, who is doing everything to shift the responsibility for his defeatist policy and failures onto others, including Russia," Areshyev stated in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to him, Pashinyan's entire behavior indicates that he has made his choice and intends to go to the end in turning his back politically on Russia.

"There are reasons for his official visit to Moscow—Armenia's presidency in the EAEU—but how substantive this presidency will be is a rather complex question, considering Yerevan's politics. The entire informational background of the meeting (Putin-Pashinyan) does not inspire positive expectations, including Pashinyan's absence at the parade; all this suggests restraint in evaluations," the expert emphasized.