Alexander Krylov: If Nikol Pashinyan will use his rating to solve the  Karabakh issue to the detriment of Armenia, it will be a political  suicide

ArmInfo. It is unlikely that  fundamental changes will take place in relations between Russia and  Armenia. I think that they will remain at the same level as after the  change of power in Armenia. The President of the Scientific Society  of Caucasus Studies declared this on December 10 at a press  conference, an expert of the Institute for World Economy and  International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences named  after E.M. Primakov Alexander KrIlov.

He noted that the change of power in the country led to the emergence  of new opportunities, but also there are certain problems. "After the  events that took place from April to May in Armenia, many had a fear  that this was another color revolution, but later, the events showed  that this interpretation is not true. Today, one of the main issues  is the question of the CSTO Secretary General, cooperation in this  structure. These issues need to be resolved, because if an  organization cannot solve problems between its members, then it will  essentially become meaningless", the expert stressed.

Referring to the statement of Trump's advisor on national security  that Nikol Pashinyan enjoys a high level of trust and will be able to  solve the Karabakh conflict in the near future, Krilov said: "It is  unlikely that the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia will use his  rating in order to take any decision that would contradict the  interests of Karabakh and Armenia. This will be equivalent to  political suicide. There are several possibilities to solve this  issue - by military means, by preparing the two societies to reduce  the level of hatred, third opinion, which the United States is  seeking, the introduction in the region of the so-called third  player, which will dictate to the countries their behavior. Such a  perspective is not in the interests of Armenia. I think if the  leadership of Armenia consistently defends its interests, it will be  able to neutralize the pressure of the Americans on this issue. I do  not think that the situation will change dramatically in the near  future, since the political position of both sides has not changed,  "Krilov concluded

In turn, senior researcher at the Center for the Study of the  Caucasus Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of  Sciences Andrei Areshev noted that several high-level meetings had  taken place in Moscow after the revolution; in addition, meetings  were held between representatives of the two parliaments, which  confirms the development of cooperation between the countries. "I  think we will need to raise the level of information communication  between the countries", Areshev said. He also noted that, despite the  fact that the interests of Armenia and Russia coincide in many  respects; there are also points in which they diverge. "So, for  example, Russia cannot nullify relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,  proceeding from its interests. However, this does not mean at all  that relations of these countries will develop due to cooperation of  Russia with Armenia", Areshev concluded.