A New Phase of Clarifyig the Russian-Armenian Relations has Started

• 05.27.2016, 10:20
• Greta Avetisyan
•  EEU,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Armenia,  Analytics

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After Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting in Vienna and after agreeing on some measures for confidence-building, it seems a new phase of clarification some questions that were raised after the April events has started. This refers mainly to the Armenian-Russian relations, because at some moment an attempt was made to equate these relations to Russia-Azerbaijan cooperation.

At what level were these clarifications made and regarding to what?

After the April four-day war the Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, when asked whether Russia intends to continue to supply weapons to Azerbaijan after the Armenian side declared that Moscow has sold a large number of weapons to Azerbaijan, Rogozin said that "everything is being done according to an agreement. The both sides are our strategic partners.” Moreover, he also added, that “it is not the weapons that fire, but the people.” This answer raised anti-Russian moods in the Armenian society that considers Russia a strategic ally. Deepening of these moods, of course, in no way could be in the interests of Russia. Armenia not once has proved that it is a loyal strategic ally for Russia and on the background of Russia-West tensions weakening of relations with Armenia will in no way be in the interests of Russia. Rogozin’s this statement that raised a noise among the Armenian society was explained by Moscow only after a month. On May 20, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Pavlovsky announced that the relations between Russia and Armenia are as of allies, meanwhile, relations with Azerbaijan are characterized as a strategic partnership stressing that Russia's relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan should not be viewed at equal level.

Another much discussed question after the April four-day war was the delay in the supply of the arms by Russia to Armenia the time, when Azerbaijan has started an aggression against NKR. According to the Russian side the reason for the delay is technical, which, however, cannot be a satisfying answer for the Armenian side taking into consideration that one cannot exclude the possibility, that the opponent will resort to new adventures. The answer to this question was given on May 20 during the visit of the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Armenia. After the meeting with Medvedev the RA Prime Minister declared that he has discussed with his counterpart the question of the supply of the Russian arms to Armenia and everything goes according to the plan.

It is obvious that so far as there were some complaints from the strategic ally in Armenia because of some factors, the Azerbaijani side would do its best to take the “opportunity” using its propaganda machine with its full potential. Azerbaijan presenting the complaints voiced against Russia as a support of Russia to it,  tried to create an effect to show their “strong” position. The statement of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman that Russia sells old weapons to Armenia, while Azerbaijan has modern weapons, is a proof to this. This statement was made on May 4, a month after the April four-day war. It turns out that one month was enough for the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan to forget about human and arms losses, that they suffered in April.

As for the complaints against Russia, then there were objective grounds for this. Azerbaijan carried out an aggression against NKR using also arms that they have bought from Russia recently. That aggression was not prevented immediately, moreover, no addressed statements were made to stop the aggression and for maintaining the ceasefire either by the Co-Chairs in general or by Russia in particular, as it is a mediator of 1994 ceasefire agreement. Addressed statements were not heard also in Vienna, they are not heard now and despite the clarification in Russian-Armenian relations still there is a need to call everything with their names.

Taking into consideration all this, however, we should state that the high-level statements and visits to Armenia by the Russian side prove that at least today there is no reason to put under question the fact of Armenian-Russian relations to be that of allies.