“Russia needs the whole region,” said Ruben Mehrabyan, an associate expert and coordinator of research programs at the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs (AIISA). According to him, all this should be considered as one of the links of that algorithm, which will allow Russia to always show its irreplaceability and ability to solve these issues. “Russia needs a permanent process, not a result, in resolving these issues.” Ruben Mehrabyan thinks that what Russia is pursuing contradicts the interests not only of Armenia, but also of all the countries in the region.
It is not about Aliyev’s regime.
“In fact, Aliyev is doing the same thing here as Russia does on its borders, one by one, against different countries. One set of steps towards Ukraine, another set of steps towards Georgia. And what is happening in Belarus was added to that whole menu. Azerbaijan does not use it against us yet, because whatever it does, it works quite effectively, and its main beneficiary is Russia. Azerbaijan is playing the role of a dumb tool, a dumb heavy object, whose handle is in Russian hands just to do that dirty work.”
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He said that Armenia should not be allowed to be alone against all this. “It is not for nothing that Vladimir Putin says we do not need another side. Brother, why not? If you want to do something good and someone else wants to come and help you, why are you against it? Then the question arises, why are you against it? Why are we a member of this organization? Why is this issue not being discussed at the OSCE Permanent Council? Just a matter of discussion. I do not have the answer to this question. In the end, we say that they invaded the territory of Armenia, it is annexation, it is aggression. Who said it was aggression, where did they write it? Where did we say that aggression is annexation?”
Ruben Mehrabyan is interested in why Armenia is a member of the UN. “If we do not have to resolve these issues, what is the point of joining the UN? Third, the so-called CSTO. As long as we are there, can we raise that issue or not? You know what, it’s necessary to make noise, because all this is like botulism; as long as we operate in a conserved state, that botulism exists. It is necessary to open and boil all this, to ensure transparency in all this, so that Aliyev will not be able to give freedom to his hands and so that he can pay a high political price for it.”
Ami CHICHAKYAN
