Possible Consequences of Zelensky's Visit to Yerevan: Vahe Hovhannisyan

In a few days, the essence of the 8th Summit of the European Political Community to be held in Yerevan could qualitatively change if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Armenia. This was stated by Vahe Hovhannisyan, a member of the 'Alternative Projects Group' and a candidate on the Prosperous Armenia Party's list.

He specifically mentioned: “Certainly, this was a key event in Nikol Pashinyan's election campaign. It was planned this way, negotiated this way, and is intended to be this way. After an unexpected visit to Azerbaijan on April 25, the probability that Zelensky will also come to Yerevan is very high. This significantly changes both the substantive and PR content of the Yerevan event. No matter how strange it may seem, it is Pashinyan who is personally most affected by Zelensky’s potential visit to this event. Zelensky in Yerevan means that he becomes the main actor, with his persona, his war, and his objective state of being more interesting to Europe.

Zelensky in Yerevan means making Armenia an epicenter of anti-Russian sentiment for several days. Zelensky in Yerevan would provoke openly irritated reactions from at least three neighboring countries (Iran, Georgia, and even Turkey). If, after all, Zelensky arrives in Yerevan and participates in the activities of the 8th Summit of the European Political Community, the atmosphere around and in Armenia will change. Russia's reaction will not be long in coming. Russia is directly at war with Ukraine, and in the event of manifestations of anti-Russian sentiment (especially in the case of calls for the creation of new platforms of anti-Russian sentiment), it will take certain responsive actions. Armenian voters will experience this as well.

European leaders are deeply indifferent to the potential consequences for Armenia; we have seen this with our own eyes over the last 5-6 years. Zelensky is unlikely to miss the opportunity to gain PR in front of the European community, and the European elite will willingly showcase demonstrations of anti-Russian sentiment in Yerevan. What will Armenia gain from all this? New problems. The paradox is that in this ' расклад' (layout), with a change of main actor, Pashinyan does not win either. They will leave after their beautiful, sharp speeches to tackle their serious internal issues. We will face a new reality with a high potential for tension, and therefore some changes in internal sentiments as well.