ArmInfo. Opponents of the
Armenian-Russian alliance and the increased role of Russia in the
South Caucasus unwittingly favor strengthening Turkey's role in this
region. This is the opinion of Eduard Sharmazanov, the former
vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament and a member of the
Republican Party. He pointed out that it is obvious that Turkey and
Azerbaijan are the main threat to Armenia's security "Moreover,
Turkey also plays a key role as the main ally of the Collective West
in the South Caucasus. Leaving aside the threats posed by the
Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem, some pro-Pashinyan, pro-government and
pro-Western actions have started to incite another anti-Russian
hysteria," the politician noted.
In this regard, he pointed out that a similar situation arose around
Armenia about 100 years ago. "Some politicians pinned their hopes
for salvation on the West, but during the Turkish-Armenian war that
began in 1920, the West did not provide any support to us. As a
result, on December 2, 1920, the Treaty of Alexandropol was signed,
resulting in a reduction of the territory of Armenia to less than 10,
000 square kilometers. It was only through the Sovietization of
Armenia that its territory was extended more than three times,
reaching about 30,000 square kilometers," Sharmazanov recalled.
At the same time, he is confident that the most effective period of
the Armenian-Russian alliance was from 1991-2018, when key agreements
were signed, including the declaration on the deployment of the 102nd
Russian military base, and a large Armenian-Russian agreement.
Armenia joined the CSTO, and thanks to the efforts of the third
President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the country
joined the Customs Union, and then the EAEU. "In 2014, the presence
of the Russian military base was extended until 2044, and a contract
was signed to receive military products at domestic Russian factory
prices. The contract is valued at 300 million US dollars. The CSTO
strategy was adopted in Yerevan. The Armenian-Russian relations of
that period were characterized by predictability and mutual trust,"
the politician added.
Sharmazanov noted that in recent years, the growth of the Armenian
economy has been directly linked to Sargsyan's decision to join the
EAEU.
"And who in the National Assembly initiated the process of leaving
the EAEU in 2017? Nikol and others like him. If Pashinyan's team had
not pursued a policy without external turbulence and isms, the
Republic of Armenia would not have found itself in this shameful
situation," he noted. In conclusion, Shramazanov quoted Armenia's
national hero Garegin Nzhdeh: "Armenia's only natural ally is the
great Russian nation."
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