Forecast: Having recognized Artsakh as part of Armenia, the West will  have to recognize Crimea as part of Russia

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.