Kremlin's "anti-Armenian schemes"

Recently Armenian media attack Russia more and more, which, according to Yerevan experts, hurts Armenian politics. In an article "Moscow encourages Azerbaijan to start a new war", published by 1in.am, Sargis Artsruni notes that Moscow can't stand the fact that Armenia took part in NATO military exercises held in Georgia. Even if this participation was agreed with Moscow in advance, the situation changed drastically after the new US sanctions against Russia and after the visit of US Vice President Mike Pens to Georgia. Several Russian publications openly question the loyalty of Armenian authorities.

"Russian officials and experts always try to covey their message or even a threat to necessary audience - they can even resort to obvious falsifications... Moscow found "legitimate" basis for encouraging Azerbaijan to start a new war - I'm talking about the fact that Armenian authorities allegedly reviewed their foreign policy. In other words, Moscow makes it clear that if Armenia continues to cooperate with NATO or even signs a new agreement with NATO, they will provoke Azerbaijan to start a new war against Armenia - laying the blame on our pro-Western authorities," Sargis Artsruni writes.

"Russia continues to blackmail Armenia," 1in.am writes in another article. This article also urged authorities and citizens of the country to take initiative in their hands. "We predicted that there won't be any full-scale military operations in the coming months. We still have the same opinion, but we also have concerns, because grueling war continues, taking the lives of dozens of young people. If Yerevan won't conduct more active policy, this sad situation can last for years, turning human tragedy and hopelessness into a part of our daily life, stimulating a new wave of emigration, because hundreds of families are thinking about safety of their sons.

Armenian side should always be ready to protect country's security. This issue has no military solution, because Armenia and Azerbaijan are not in a position to force each other to capitulate. The solution to this problem lies in the diplomatic plane. Moreover, we should expect unusual solutions from our Foreign Ministry, because the task is not only to prevent Azerbaijan's agression, but also to bring the conflict out of Moscow's monopoly control," the publication writes.

"Moscow controls the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by arming its sides, which will lead to a new war sooner or later. By the way, Moscow already questions the loyalty of Armenian authorities, especially after participation in NATO military exercises in Georgia. Moscow expert circles, even those experts who supposedly have pro-Armenian position, praise Azerbaijan. The best proof of this is Stanislav Tarasov's article, published by informational and analytical website Regnum. 'Pro-Armenian' Tarasov basically proposes Kremlin to oust 'treacherous, pro-Western' authorities of Armenia from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and establish direct contacts with Nagorno-Karabakh.

There is no doubt that Russian authorities are the authors of such dangerous initiative. Tarasov supports thesis of Azerbaijani authorities, according to which Karabakh is an 'internal matter' of Azerbaijan. Moscow used this model in the settlement processes Abkhaz, South Ossetian, Transnistrian conflicts. Everyone knows how it ended.

If what Tarasov said becomes a reality or if Armenian side swallows the bait of Russian side, then Karabakh will become a bargaining chip in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations or will be absorbed by Russia," the author concludes.