ArmInfo.The geopolitical significance and value of the Syunik region of Armenia has increased significantly. As of today, this importance has increased even more than we could imagine it yesterday. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by head of the Armenian Institute of International Relations and Security Stepan Safaryan.
"Such significance is attached to Syunik by its geographical and mainly geopolitical and geo-economic location, as in thecase of Ukraine. It is in Syunik that geopolitical vectors and arrows of various centers of power intersect as of today. The West is interested in Syunik, which is clearly manifested in the frequent visits to the region by the US ambassador and other diplomatic missions," he said.
In this light, according to Safaryan, Russia's desire to settle and gain a foothold at this geopolitical crossroads, primarily through the implementation of the provisions of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, is quite understandable. Another "signator" of this statement, Azerbaijan, represented by Aliyev, is consistently trying "to sell" the so called "Zangezur Corridor" wherever possible, because he is well aware of its real value.
The analyst considers the recent meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan on a par with the current geopolitical realities with the participation of Armenia. In his opinion, the decision to hold the meeting in Yerevan was not coincidental. And first of all, it was necessary for the Russian Federation and not least for Belarus.
According to Safaryan, the Ukrainian crisis is forcing Russian diplomacy to intensify in all areas. By means of which Moscow is trying to break out of its own political isolation. At the same time, in his opinion, the current foreign policy of the Russian Federation is more conservative than attacking. In other words, its main goal is to maintain at least the existing positions, including in Armenia and the South Caucasus.
"Such a state of affairs in international relations for Armenia and other countries of a similar caliber contains considerable difficulties and problems. Armenia is forced to make a choice of a strategic nature, respectively, of importance. In response, Yerevan is forced to try to remain in a position of strategic balance, refraining from the compulsion of choice, including through the diplomatic activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at this, the level of which I have recently assessed quite positively," the analyst summed up.