Armenia’s Westward Shift Raises Tensions - Prof Glenn Diesen on Inside Politics w Anastasiya Lavrina

I participated in a debate on “Inside Politics with Anastasiya Lavrina” to discuss Armania’s shift toward the West and its deteriorating relations with Russia. I argue that it is in Armenia’s to diversify its economic partnerships to avoid excessive reliance on only Russia. However, Armania’s objective to establish a balanced relationship between the West and Russia is not shared by the West. The continent is redivided and a new Cold War is being fought over where to draw the new dividing lines. The main interest and objective of the West is to drive a wedge between Armenia and Russia to weaken a strategic rival. This could be disastrous for Armenia as Russia is its most important economic partner, the Eurasian Economic Union serves its national interests, and the regional geopolitical balance would also shift to the advantage of Armenia’s adversaries.