“The main message of this statement is that Armenia is a province, a countryside for the Russian Empire”,- so replied the secretary of “Heritage” party Stepan Safaryan to the question of Aravot.am as to what the Russian’s outpost characterization of Armenia is about. To remind that Alexander Gusev, Professor, Director of the RF Center for Strategic Development of the Institute of CIS countries, days ago, made the following statement, “Russia views Armenia as a kind of original outpost in the Caucasus, and it is clear that under the political processes that are underway in Armenia and Georgia, or have been already implemented, anyway Russia has a very definite attitude in regard to Georgia, and under these conditions, Armenia acts as a certain outpost for Russia in the Caucasus.” Mr. Safaryan said that “the game did not end with September 3, and it has just launched for Russia”.
Then he detailed, “To this respect, Russia would not be too lazy to make statements and exert pressure on Armenia until the full membership of the European Union, because Armenia has not yet joined, it had made only a statement about joining the Customs Union.” To our observation whether the pressures from the Russian side would become tougher, Mr. Safaryan replied as follows: “If Yerevan attempts to question its accession to the Customs Union, then the pressure would certainly increase.” Ashot Manucharyan, a member of the Karabakh Committee, believes that it is appropriate to take offence of Russia and emphasize, “When countries are establishing relationships with each other, each one becomes something for the other side. Russia is the guarantor of our security; we can also say that Russia has become a blackjack for us, which we can use to hit on the head of others. There is no need to see other shades. Russia is establishing the biggest military unit in the Caucasus, and it adds security of the Russian Federation, as well as drastically increases the security of Armenia”.
And to the observation whether similar “confessions” from the Russian side do not show that the decision on September 3 was really made under pressure, Mr. Manucharyan answered, “Undoubtedly, it was made under pressure.” The member of the Karabakh Committee believes that this game has nothing to do with us, it refers to Russian-American relations, when “one wins the other.” Then, he added, “We take an offence to what. How is it associated with us? As they say, we and our mountains”.
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Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
