ArmInfo.In 2019, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will have to prove that he has appeared at the top of power in Armenia not by chance, Russian analyst Sergey Markedonov expressed this opinion to ArmInfo. "The high status and degree of self-sufficiency gained by Pashinyan following the results of last year's December early parliamentary elections can create for him both new opportunities and dangerous temptations.The Armenian Prime Minister will have to demonstrate of head of state and prove his own ability to implement core systematic reforms and changes in Armenia. Otherwise, dissatisfaction with him will only increase, "he is convinced. The analyst considers the development and launch of an economic program real and understandable to society as one of the most acute tasks to be resolved by Pashinyan. At the same time, he does not exclude that in case of growth of problems caused by the parliamentary system, the head of state can launch another reform of the Constitution. Especially, considering that Pashinyan has already mentioned this possibility.
The analyst also pointed at the importance of developing a competent foreign policy by the new Armenian authority, especially in conditions of a longstanding unresolved conflict that Armenia faces. Considering the recent resignations in the military-political leadership of the NKR not coincidental, Markedonov sees them in the light of Pashinyan's desire to gain greater control over Stepanakert. He considers this issue to be one of the priorities of the new Armenian government. At the same time according to Markedonov, all the risks existing around Armenia and the region as a whole, have not disappeared. In this light, in particular, the analyst points to a significant activation of the USA in the region, which is very important against the background of increasing tensions in the Middle East and the consistent deterioration of US relations with Russia and Iran. And there is plenty of conflict in the South Caucasus and in the Middle East to unleash the accumulated tension. The Line of Contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in his opinion, is no exception.