ArmInfo. The opinion about the exceptional importance of Armenia, the domestic political situation in Armenia and the Armenian-Russian relations for Russia is somewhat erroneous. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo, a member of the expert council of the Carnegie Moscow Center, head of research at the Dialogue of Civilizations Institute, Alexei Malashenko.
"In Armenia, and in many other countries of the post-Soviet space, there are exaggerated-hyped, erroneous stereotypes, considering ourselves as a priority of Russian foreign policy. At least at the current stage, things are somewhat different in Russia. We are having great difficulty and through the expenditure of huge resources we are overcoming the coronavirus, preparing for constitutional reforms, domestic political transformations. We are trying to overcome the energy crisis, establish relations with the West, etc., etc., "he said.
According to the Russian expert, Russia has no "burning" threats in the post-Soviet space today. There are only a number of problems, including the Karabakh one, which Moscow deals with in its usual, stable mode. Noting that Moscow, of course, monitors domestic political events in Armenia, Malashenko emphasized the deliberate lack of any reaction to them.
"In all likelihood, our leadership has its own clear opinion about what is happening in Armenia. However, as the past shows, a number of past events, the Russian reaction to the events in Armenia has always turned against Russia itself. Since it has traditionally been perceived as interference in the internal affairs of the sovereign state. The current silence of official Moscow is due precisely to the experience of the past. Even our experts are more modest in their assessments, "he stressed.
According to Malashenko, the current domestic political situation in Armenia was expected, including for partner countries. Nevertheless, what is happening in Armenia, in his opinion, is really exclusively an internal affair of the Armenian people. Accordingly, all decisions taken in Yerevan should be acceptable to the Armenians themselves. Commenting on the bilateral relations of Armenia and Russia, the expert noted the presence of some misunderstanding in a number of issues. According to him, it is precisely this misunderstanding that supports some, and stable, tension in these relations. At the same time, full understanding is maintained in many areas of the Armenian-Russian relations. To clear the jungle of problems on other issues, in his opinion, there are no resources, no time, neither Russia nor Armenia.