Epress.am News from Armenia
In an interview with 1news.az, Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy at the Heritage Foundation, spoke on Russia extending its contract to keep its military base in Armenia’s second-largest city, Gyumri, till 2049.
According to Cohen, Moscow is doing everything possible to secure its dominant position in the South Caucasus. And in the context of the Obama administration’s maturing interest in the region, that’s not so difficult.
“After Hilary Clinton’s recent visit to Armenia, when Clinton confined herself to calling for democracy and stability in the region, Russia decided to give Armenia political guarantees,” said Cohen.
“The Kremlin has taken upon itself the role of mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia and currently it’s attempting to establish a balance between traditional sympathy and long-term partnership,” said the senior research fellow, adding that this fact, however, doesn’t testify to Moscow’s wish for resolving the issue.
According to Cohen, unlike the United States, it’s already the second year that Moscow has been offering its hand in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, thus strengthening cooperation, including military cooperation, with Baku and Yerevan.