How loyal are Russia’s friends in the face of Russian nationalists from Armenia and "NKR"?

"Vestnik Kavkaza"

Sometimes one is surprised by the deceit of those who all these years have been acting out about the historical brotherhood and alliance of the Armenian people with Russia. The nationalists who came to power on the wave of the artificially-created Karabakh conflict were not slow to show their true colors in the first critical situation created after the introduction of Western sanctions against Russia.

At the end of last week, the Federation Council ratified an agreement to include Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union. According to this document, Armenia became a full member of the Union on January 1st, along with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It is obvious that there is not so much as a hint that Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied Azerbaijani territories will join the EEU. As stated in May by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, Amangeldy Zhumabaev, touching positions of Astana, when the question of Armenia's entry into the Eurasian Economic Union came up, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has clearly expressed his position, that consisted of the fact that Armenia can join the Union in the framework of internationally-recognized boundaries, "Karabakh cannot be in this union, this is our principled position on the Karabakh issue, and from this position we do not move away."

Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Alexander Mihnevich even attached a note to the agreement on Armenia's membership in the EEU saying that Nagorno-Karabakh is not part of Armenia.

Yerevan's position on joining the EEU still remains not entirely clear. Opponents of the Eurasian Union include parliamentarians Pashinyan, Khachatur Kokobelyan and the politician Paruyr Hayrikyan. A few days ago Vahan Badasyan – so-called deputy of so-called National Assembly of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which, lets stress again no one invited to the EEU – unexpectedly joined this list.

During the meeting with Armenia's First Information Channel, the MP said the following: "The EEU is an evil for the Armenian people and the Armenian authorities continue to insist that it is supposedly for the sake of national security. The Armenian official who says that the EEU is good is either mistaken or a vassal of Russia."

According to him, one would have to be blind not to realize what a disaster Armenian membership of the EEU will be. "And if, God save us, this treaty enters into force and takes effect, then our people will see other disasters. All this motivates security guarantees, and what does that mean? If we do not enter into this alliance, Russia would start a war with Armenia or Azerbaijan and Turkey to incite them to attack Armenia? Of course not, this is misleading. Russia today is not supporting the world balance. Russia today is a country weak and on the verge of disaster, an abnormal empire that will soon fall apart, and Armenia joins it in dying too? This is folly."

Badasyan stressed that even the oligarchs who voted in parliament in favor of Armenia's accession to the EEU, will soon feel themselves that all of this is a disaster. "They will feel all of this on themselves. I'm sorry that Armenia does not even have an elite, except for a few individuals, who could give a signal about the dangers of membership of the EEU, we all see these calamities. We already see how expensive the dollar is, the rising commodity prices, and tomorrow we will see other incompatibilities and will be sure of it."