Thursday, July 21 2016 09:53

 Russian analyst Sergey Markedonov is sure that the Russian policy's stagnant Armenian vector is fraught with "Ukrainization" of Armenia.

"Taking into account the unresolved Karabakh conflict, it is a double risk for Moscow, as instability inside Armenia may spark more tensions on the Line of Contact with interference of external forces and chaos at the regional scale," Markedonov told ArmInfo. In this light, he said, it is high time for Moscow to stop supporting the Armenian authorities only and to shift the soft power from the pro-Soviet nostalgia to the acute problems of the active sectors of the Armenian population.  

The analyst believes that the discontent of many Armenian politicians and public figures at Russia's attempts to balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan could remain in the sleep mode but for the April war when Azerbaijan used the Russian arms against the Armenian side. 

He said this factor along with the cooperation of the Kremlin and the incumbent authorities of Armenia, ignoring of the oppositionists and human rights defenders, creates a stable negative image of Russia for the Armenian youth. As a result, during almost all the protests in Armenia Russia is being criticized.

"So far these views do not dominate, but the usual inertia in the Armenian-Russian relations will not be preserved any longer. Well, NATO is not an alternative to Russia for Armenia, at least because Turkey is a NATO member, and Russia is involved in the Karabakh peace process. However, one should understand that the Armenian vector of Russia's policy needs fundamental changes. The latest developments around the seized police station in Yerevan have proved that," Markedonov said.