Future of Armenian nationhood is being decided in Washington - expert 

ArmInfo.  The trilateral meeting Pashinyan-Aliyev-Trump, scheduled for August 7-8 in  Washington, is presented as an initiative to "form peace, prosperity  and economic cooperation." Political scientist Suren Surenyants wrote  about this on his Facebook page.

However, according to him, in reality, we are not talking about a  "peace treaty", but about a fateful political turn for Armenia.

"The most important item on the backstage agenda, apparently, will be  the issue of the road through Syunik. This is presented as an  economic opportunity, but in essence it can become the greatest  challenge to Armenia's sovereignty," the political scientist noted.

He believes that everyone knows the personal agenda of US President  Donald Trump, concerning the Nobel Peace Prize. "But there is also a  deeper geopolitical problem: the United States is seeking to oust  Russia and Iran from the South Caucasus, strengthening its influence  through transport and energy corridors. The Syunik road is becoming  part of not only a regional but also a global strategy, a tool for  isolating Iran and putting pressure on Russia. The largest  beneficiaries of this process are Baku and Ankara.  They receive the  Turan corridor, connecting Turkey with Central Asia through  Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, and implement the program of "integration  of the Turkic world" repeatedly proclaimed by Erdogan. Azerbaijan  receives a strategic corridor without any mutual concessions, since  this will not be a classic road, but a road with a special status and  international guarantees. For Armenia, the dangers in this process  will only accumulate. The model of international control over the  Syunik road (with Western monitoring) can turn into a de facto  "special status", which will lead to territorial disputes in the  future.  Armenia finds itself in the center of a global conflict of  interests, which makes it not a subject, but an object of the game.  Any escalation in the triangle USA-Russia-Iran will be the first blow  for us.

Loss of security. Azerbaijan, taking advantage of this process, will  increase pressure on Armenia in other areas, making new demands.

It is symbolic that all this is happening at a time when the  trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, with all its shortcomings,  is actually being squeezed out of the process. This document, in  essence, implied reciprocity: the Lachin corridor in exchange for the  road through Syunik, as well as minimal guarantees for the  preservation of the Armenian identity of Artsakh. And today, the  model proposed by Washington is a unilateral concession without any  equivalent compensation or security mechanism," the political  scientist noted. 

Surenyants noted that RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will try to  present this document as a historical achievement and make it the  main trump card for reproduction in the 2026 elections. But, on the  other hand, public polarization will increase, since the majority  will not perceive such compromises as a step that ensures security.  This can lead to a deep internal crisis and political upheaval that  will weaken the state, making it more vulnerable to external  influence. "Thus, the Washington meeting is not only negotiations,  but also the center of a strategic game where the future of Armenian  statehood is being decided. The wrong decision can become a death  sentence for generations," the political scientist emphasized.