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For decades, Russia had backed Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan, enabling the Armenians to control Karabakh and the seven Azerbaijani districts in violation of four UN Security Council resolutions for 30 years. Putin’s ties with the Caucuses country began to deteriorate after the Pashinyan government took over in 2018; this trend further continued after Azerbaijan’s victory during the second Karabakh War and the subsequent military operation that took place after that. The Armenians felt that the Russians were not supportive enough in this conflict.
Despite that the Pashinyan government is closer to the West and Iran than it is to Moscow presently, it is critical to recall that trade relations between Armenia and Russia remain strong, despite the recent coup attempt. Armenia remains the main hub for circumventing the West’s anti-Russian sanctions.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk cited the following figures during his recent visit to Yerevan: “In 2023, the volume of mutual trade between Armenia and Russia increased by 55.8%, reaching $7.4 billion. This year, the growth rate is even higher; in the first half of the year, the trade turnover was $8.4 billion, and by the end of the year we can reach $14-16 billion. For comparison, in 2020, this volume was only $2.3 billion.”
According to Overchuk, by the end of 2024, the volume of trade turnover between Armenia and Russia may reach $14 to $16 billion. Overchuk noted that the economic cooperation between the two countries is developing dynamically and covers almost all sectors of the economy.
It is obvious that the Armenian economy, given its small volume, does not have its own resources for such trade turnover. A paradoxical picture emerges when on the one hand the West finances Ukraine’s resistance against Russian aggression, and on the other hand allows Armenia to make money on this very aggression, actually encouraging re-export schemes through Armenia, allowing the Russian economy to continue the war against Ukraine.
At the same time, the leading American PR agency Edelman is openly working for Russian Armenian oligarch Ruben Vardanyan. It is noteworthy that while commenting on the unnaturally growing trade turnover between Armenia and Russia, as well as the increasing military cooperation between Russia and Armenia, the US State Department in September officially called it “Armenia’s sovereign right.”
However, some Western commentators have been critical of Putin’s recent visit to Azerbaijan, claiming that Baku is taking a pro-Russian and anti-Western stance, while remaining silent on all of the ongoing trade between Armenia and Russia. This represents a double standard.
The writer is a Middle East scholar and commentator on the region.
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Publish date : 2024-09-25 16:09:00
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