U.S. hints Pashinyan to review relations with Russia
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
Armenia, a non-self-sufficient country, continues, through its diaspora, to beg for money from its main patron Russia and the U.S.
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved an amendment proposing to provide Armenia with additional financial assistance worth $40 million within the budget for fiscal year 2020.
It is noteworthy, that after Donald Trump came to power and Washington’s drastic reduction of such "humanitarian" costs, funding for Armenia has significantly decreased. The Armenian lobby has made numerous attempts to get the funding back.
However, in the end Armenia received much less than what the lobby was counting on. In March, Van Krikorian, Board of Trustees Co-Chairman at the Armenian Assembly of America, urged to give Armenia $100 million "to promote democracy and the economy", and $25 million to "assist" the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
Armenian experts note that recently there has been complete uncertainty in the Armenian-American relations, and therefore, the news about the allocation of assistance has come as a surprise to many. Pashinyan repeatedly reproached the U.S. for lack of investment and other activity.
Currently, the U.S. and Armenia do not have common interests and values. The U.S. Congress has nothing to do with Pashinyan or his revolution. During his visit to the region in 2018, the U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton hinted to Yerevan that Washington was expecting Armenians to get rid of the pro-Russian policy. But the course remained the same, and now the Armenian lobby has a hard time telling the congressmen tales of "new" Armenia.
The Armenian expert circles regard the increase in the funding of the occupying country by the U.S as another hint to Yerevan to drastically change the political course. The so-called "restart of strategic partnership" is another hint to Armenians about the need for a decisive change in the political course.
Pashinyan has difficulties to persuade Russia that his “revolution” was exclusively pro-Armenian and not pro-Western. Moscow should in no case think that the new authorities of Armenia are changing course or are going to do that in future. At the same time, Pashinyan has to maintain a balance with all his strength in order not to deprive the West of its illusions about the Armenian political future. The task is very difficult and Pashinyan periodically loses the balance.
The Armenian analysts believe that the new Armenian authorities would not like to straddle both worlds – they have to make a choice. However, Armenia will not survive in case of a change in its political course. For the entire short history of the existence of Armenia as a state in the South Caucasus, only Russia fully supported this country. Deprived of this support, Armenia will simply cease to exist and collapse as any artificial formation falls apart.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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