Expert: Pashinyan chooses tactics of provocations for not being written off

"The tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is closely linked to Pashinyan's reelection as the prime minister. The matter is that he built his election campaign on two moments. On the one hand, Pashinyan tells Russia and Azerbaijan that he is a guarantor of peace. On the other hand, he constantly signalizes to the Armenian community that his goal is to prepare for revenge," political scientist Alexei Fenenko told Report's Russian bureau, commenting on the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

"Pashinyan has been elected. Now he wants to show his serious intentions to his voters while avoiding full-fledged war. Therefore, he chooses the tactics of small provocations and shellings to show his readiness to revenge, for not being written off," the political expert said.

The expert commented on Pashinyan's proposal to station Russian peacekeepers and CSTO observers along the entire border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He explained that the proposal would be dismissed: "It won't be accepted. No one needs that. He realizes that Russia won't take such a radical intervention. Pashinyan dared to such a statement to show to his voters that he is ready to interact with Russia."

Fenenko said that Pashinyan's reference to CSTO, which Armenia has been blocking for several years, is incredibly ridiculous. He believes that the Armenian leader purposefully makes unrealistic proposals to accuse the other side of its non-fulfillment further and then appeal to the NATO member-states.

The expert also believes that by supplying vaccines to Armenia, France, as a NATO member-state, is trying to demonstrate support to Pashinyan and this country, in general.