Thursday, February 27 2014

 

The key conclusion of the recent
Moscow-hosted roundtable discussion on the Russian army was that terrorist war
is the major challenge for Russia.
What is this conclusion based on?

The military-political and
military-strategic situation in the world makes countries revise their attitude
to defense. Growing terrorist threats and the recent developments in the Middle
East, and Syria, first of
all, along with many other problems necessitate Russia to have quick response
capabilities to meet the challenges it is facing. Over the last years, the
Russian Armed Forces have not been properly re-equipped. The situation began to
change during the last few years, but much is still to be done to keep the
balance of power in the world arena. In addition, to settle a series of tasks,
the military budget of Russia
should be spent not only on purchase of new models of arms and military
equipment, but also in reconstruction of infrastructures. I am sure that
without reliable infrastructure, it is impossible to settle either military
tasks or non- typical tasks, like liquidation of the latest flood aftermaths in
the Russian Far East. So, I don’t think that the big military budget will be
spent on purchase of arms within the coming years. He thinks that much will be
spent on creation of dual-purpose infrastructures to foster Russia's economic and general
development. 

As a result of the two Geneva meetings the United
States and Russia
have come to terms on Syria
and Iran.
Have they reached agreements that might allow them to regulate a wide spectrum
of relations?

I
would not take the Geneva
agreements seriously. History shows that the United States is unyielding and
mostly takes what it wants. In Syria
they are using diplomatic ways to put things into a deadlock, while in the
meantime they keep saying that their military plans in that country are still
in force. In Iran
they are trying to cause internal instability. So, we can say that the
Americans have not changed their plans on either Syria
or Iran,
what they have changed is the means they are using to carry those plans out.

Why is Israel
so openly pessimistic about Iran’s
nuclear agreements with P5+1?

Israel believes that only it can have a mass
destruction weapon in the region. In the last years the Israelis have done
their best to leave both Iraq
and Syria without nuclear
weapons, and now it's Iran's
turn. So, they will not accept any pact leaving Iran at least the tiniest chance to
have a nuclear weapon of its own. 

Are the West and Russia making equal efforts in their fight for Ukraine? What
will the Maidan end in?

Russia, unlike the West, has never laid
political conditions when giving loans, while for the West politics have always
been a top priority. And we all see what this policy has led to in Ukraine. They
in Ukraine have proved
unable to confront the new challenges that have come from the Middle East and North Africa - something termed as 'irregular warfare' in
present-day military science. The Ukrainian leaders should have been more
resolute in their actions. A state is not always a carrot, sometimes it must be
a stick. But most of them have appeared to be more worried about their own
selves than about their country. They left their law enforcers alone face to
face with the mob and may well make them scapegoats in the end.

What countries will be attracted by
the Kremlin’s reintegration projects should it win in the fight for Ukraine?

The Kremlin is not forcing anybody to join
its reintegration projects. Today Russia is different - it is ready
to help but only on a mutually beneficial basis. If a partner has what to offer
to us, it will be welcome into the Customs Union, but if somebody has nothing
to offer or regards Russia
as a milk cow only, we don't need such a partner.

Many people in Armenia are
seriously worried that the prices of a number of imported items will grow as
the customs duties will be made equal to the duties that are in force in the
Customs Union. Can any military-political preferences outbalance the vague
economic future of Armenia
as part of the Customs Union?

I am sure that Armenia will find its place in new
Eurasian geopolitics. Here we must act jointly, without saying 'give us this or
that cheaper just because we are partners.' If we want something, we must offer
something in exchange. Military strategic partnership is the key bonus in
Russian-Armenian relations. "Russia's
military capacities in Armenia
guarantee balance of forces and stability in the region. But this cannot be a
firm basis for longer- term cooperation. "Here we also need economic
motives and closer economic ties irrespective of formats. Armenia must find its place in history as an
essential partner for Russia.
The last events have shown that the West does not need us. What it wants is
permanent conflicts in Russia,
Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine and people killing each
other, while it will be pumping resources from their neglected economies.

Armenia's accession to the Customs Union,
the supplies of arms to Azerbaijan and Russia’s growing military presence in
Armenia and the region – can this bring the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement closer? 

The
absence of territorial disputes is a guarantee of stability in any region. I
think that Russia's comeback
to the South Caucasus will foster security and development in that region, with
the Nagorno- Karabakh problem being really crucial for the future of the whole Caucasus. 

Does Armenia make use of its geographic
situation? What other chances have it missed so far?

I think Armenia does not use all the
advantages it has today. I don't mean only geography. Geography was important
some hundred years ago at the time of commodity flows. Today, we are witnessing
the birth of a new information society based on a world wide web. So, important
today are not material but information flows. In this light, Armenia with its unique Diaspora
networks perfectly fits into this new world. I think that Armenia is the only Customs Union
country that is ready for the realities of the new information society. If
wisely used, this advantage can make you a leader of the Union.
I hope that the Customs Union will be one of the first successful symbols of
the new world.