Azernews.Az

Russia is increasing its pressure on Armenia given that the South Caucasus republic's double-faced policy has an anti-Russian slant, an Azerbaijani analyst believes.

"Moscow realizes that Armenia's double-faced policy is of anti-Russian nature and begins to struggle with it by increasing pressure on Yerevan in all ways," Mubariz Ahmedoglu, director of the Center of Political Innovations and Technologies, told a press conference last week.

Ahmedoglu noted that Russia is taking more and more segments of the Armenian economy under its influence, the Russian military is now much more active in Armenia and Russia is moving away from Armenia's position on its dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh.

Ahmedoglu warned of the risks for Armenia. "Even pro-Armenian Russian political analysts note that alienating from Russia would be dangerous for Yerevan," he said.

Ahmedoglu also noted the influence of the Syrian crisis on Armenia. According to him, the situation in Syria is causing a political problem for Armenia.

"The Syrian Armenians who fled from fighting in their country and arrived in Armenia now do not want to stay there. They need an Armenian visa or Armenian citizenship to emigrate to the West," he said.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia leveled territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The ensuing war claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since a fragile ceasefire was signed in 1994. Peace talks, brokered by US, Russian and French mediators, have been largely fruitless so far.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on a withdrawal from Nagorno Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions.