ArmInfo.Armenia, like all other post-Soviet countries, is viewed by Europe in the light of the degree of its proximity to Russia. German political scientist Alexander Rahr expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"From this point of view, Armenia has done very little to get closer to the European Union. I think that if Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had relied more on the EU in his policy, Brussels's response to the recent war would have been more significant. In the existing geopolitical realities, Europe was silent and this silence was a matter of principle, "he stressed. At the same time, Rahr noted that Pashinyan did not have a mandate in Armenia itself for such a rapprochement with Europe.
The German political scientist explains the absence of developed relations between Europe and Armenia both by the West-Russia relations and by the general importance of the region located far from Europe for the European Union, as well as centuries-old realities. Rahr noted that Armenia has existed for centuries in a very difficult geopolitical region. In which it has much more enemies and rivals than friends. In this conditions, according to Rahr, it is extremely important to note that Russia has historically never been on the list of Armenia's enemies. In this light, according to the political scientist, there should be no place for Russophobia in the political mentality of the Armenian elites. Against this background, Europe is limited to calls to refrain from bloodshed and death of young people. And the fact that this bloodshed takes place in the homeland of ancestors does not bother anyone in Europe.
"Europe has been living in a different world for a long time, it is guided by other priorities, values and mentality. In Europe, they think little about additional zones of influence, preferring their own liberal values to all this. And conflicts like the Karabakh one do not fit into these values. That is why European politics in this direction will continue to be limited to appeals for peace. Europe will not seek and determine the right and the guilty, "Rahr said.
According to the German political scientist, the absence of war is important for European politicians. And they do not see any problems for agreements between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, as the Germans did with the French, Dutch and Poles after the Second World War.
"I adhere to a similar opinion on the issue of determining the status of Artsakh. Before the situation around Crimea, the probability of the EU countries recognizing the independence of Artsakh was many times greater than today. And this is primarily due to the Russian factor. Having recognized Artsakh as a part of Armenia, the West will have to recognize Crimea as part of Russia. Accordingly, the EU will not want to take steps that one way or another may be considered in favor of Russia, "Rahr summed up.