Your trusted source

Panorama.am asked Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of the opposition Pativ Unem faction in the Armenian parliament and a member of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense and Security, for comments on the so-called "French weapons supplies” to Armenia.

Panorama.am: Mr. Abrahamyan, the country, which was a mediator until recently, is now selling military equipment to Armenia allegedly to restore the military status quo between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Perhaps it is a hint of a new war? It might also be an effort to dodge responsibility in advance, so that later they would not say, "France, you brought Nikol and Aliyev together, smiled, surrendered Artsakh, so what? You nurtured Azerbaijan and now you seem to be concerned. What is the report that France is supplying defense weapons to Armenia really about?

Tigran Abrahamyan: In connection with the first question, I believe that by supplying arms to Armenia and signing military-technical cooperation with the country, France is trying to make clear that its intentions in the South Caucasus, more specifically in terms of increasing its role, are more serious than one can imagine. And this is not limited to official statements.

Regarding your next remark, it has repeatedly been stated that the EU offers only reforms, humanitarian or various grant projects, but the most important thing as a geopolitical unit is security, which is a key issue especially in the South Caucasus.

This can also mark an important step for the EU to start playing a most significant role in the South Caucasus.

Globally, these actions are aimed at reducing the role of Russia and, naturally, strengthening the influence of the collective West.

They are trying to take advantage of the fact that a government has been formed in Armenia, under the rule of which Armenian-Russian relations have hit a historical low for various reasons. And the West is trying to reorient itself taking much more active steps, which will naturally happen at the expense of Russia's role and influence.

Panorama.am: In this case, can we say that Nikol’s "pro-European policy" has been effective?

Tigran Abrahamyan: I can't fully assess this deal at the moment, taking into account that the supply volumes are not known yet, whether the weapons will be fully delivered or not and in what timeframes it will take place, as well as their possible role in the Armenian army’s arsenal.

But the fact is that Nikol's vector policy cannot be considered effective anyhow simply because as a result of five and a half years of his policy, the Armenian authorities surrendered Artsakh and some parts of Armenia’s sovereign territory.

Now other sovereign territories of Armenia have become a bargaining chip due to his public statements. In other words, I believe there is no sense in talking about its effectiveness.

Panorama.am: Absolutely!

Interview by Anahit Voskanyan