ArmInfo. The signed agreement on cooperation between Armenia and the United States, along with the ambitious plans of the re-elected US president to expand his country's influence, indicate that Donald Trump may become one of Russia's most serious opponents, as noted by Viktor Sobolev, a member of the State Duma Defense Committee.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have signed a Strategic Partnership charter. They also announced the beginning of negotiations on a nuclear cooperation agreement. Blinken emphasized that the charter signing enhances and broadens the scope of bilateral cooperation ambitions. Mirzoyan pointed out that Armenia and the United States have reached a significant level of partnership crucial in the current complex international situation. He also confirmed the initiation of talks on nuclear cooperation. Sobolev called this situation extremely dangerous for Russia's interests in the Transcaucasus, stating that such agreements contradict Moscow's geopolitical interests.
"Of course, this threatens Russia's interests in the Caucasus. After all, Trump is now in power in the United States, not the limping and falling Biden. This is a man who wants to make America great again. And we don't need this greatness at all. The fact that he has become involved in Armenia is the first sign that he will definitely be our enemy, and perhaps the most serious one. Of course, there is a risk of Armenia becoming anti-Russia, if they have already reached such an agreement. By the way, Blinken and the new Secretary of State do not seem to disagree much on Ukraine, so we should let go of any hopes we had for Trump. Trump even mentioned that Canada is part of the United States, Greenland is a given, and this is very concerning. He is essentially trying to create an empire, which goes against our national interests. It is likely that NATO bases will be deployed in Armenia, leading to our troops being forced out. Our military bases are located in Gyumri and in Yerevan. This is very serious. Strengthening the entire southern direction will be necessary," he told NSN.
In an interview with Gazeta.Ru, Konstantin Zatulin, a State Duma deputy and First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Affairs, noted that the Armenian leadership's shift to the West has been ongoing for quite some time. However, this shift has become particulatly noticeable in the past year or two. "The current Armenian government motivates its turn to the West by its own defeat in 2020 Karabakh war. Pashinyan accuses the Russian leadership of failing to provide support to Yerevan during that time ultimately leading to Armenia's loss of Karabakh. This rhetoric shifts responsibility from the Prime Minister to a third party," the deputy said. He emphasized that "Armenia is not the only country in the South Caucasus that was offered to sign such a document." "Previously, the same agreement was in effect between the United States and Georgia until Washington canceled it due to dissatisfaction with the Georgian authorities," the parliamentarian said. Zatulin recalled that a similar situation had already occurred in bilateral relations between Russia and Armenia after the First World War, when the Ottoman and Russian empires collapsed. "Local Armenian authorities truly desired independence and sought protection from the Entente countries and the United States. However, no help followed then either," he concluded.