The Armenian opposition invited Yerevan to join the Union State

Armenia is once again talking about integration into the Union State. For the first time, the topic gained popularity after the second Karabakh war, as many Armenians lost faith in their own republic and began to look for other sources of security. Later, the authorities and the opposition began to use it in disputes about whether Armenia should move closer to the European Union and Turkey or strengthen relations with Russia. In an interview with several media outlets, the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, decided to make another contribution to this debate.

According to him, the heads of Russia and Belarus have never suggested to him that Armenia join the Union State. “I have never had such conversations with Yeltsin (the first president of the Russian Federation. – “NG”), nor with Putin (the President of the Russian Federation. – “NG”), nor with Lukashenko (the president of Belarus. – “NG”). Another big question is if we had raised this issue, would we have been given preconditions or not. It seems that they are waiting for Armenia to be included in this union. I sincerely say, there was no such conversation.… As for why they (the Armenian authorities) have been doing this for the past two months. – “NG”) they constantly talk about this thesis and about me, it feels like a joke – they don’t know the name of another hero,” the second president noted.

At the same time, Kocharyan stressed that the authorities use the issue of the Union State for their own purposes, including to reduce the attractiveness of partnership with Russia. From his point of view, this is a wrong path; instead, on the contrary, it is necessary to strengthen relations with Moscow.

“To think that Europe can resolve any security issues in Armenia is naive… Now there are three states that can be actors in this region: Russia, Turkey and Iran. Which of these countries is closer to us, with which country are our economic ties stronger, with which country are we connected by history, which country is the strongest and has the greatest economic and military potential? Which country is closer to us in terms of cultural code? These are questions that have no alternative answers,” Kocharyan said.

Recall that in February 2022, the head of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, speaking about the expansion of the Union State, said that other former Soviet republics, including Armenia, which “has nowhere to go,” could also join Russia and Belarus. “Do you think someone needs them?” – he emphasized.

After that, the Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, owned by the family of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, published an article stating that Moscow allegedly wants the same thing from Yerevan as from Kiev – joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Only Ukraine is being forced to do this by Russian troops, and Azerbaijani troops can handle Armenia.

In January 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan had not received an official offer to join the Union State, but noted that the situation was more complicated than it seemed. According to him, “sometimes it is necessary to consider deeply not the text, but the subtext of the questions.” At the same time, Pashinyan did not refute the version that Yerevan may be under pressure to integrate into the Union State.

Meanwhile, the idea of Armenia joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus has gained popularity among some of Pashinyan’s opponents. In particular, the mayor of Gyumri, Vardan Ghukasyan, who was elected in April, told reporters that this is a great opportunity to strengthen the republic’s security and ensure its prosperity.

“It turns out an interesting situation: when someone talks about a Union State with Russia, they are accused of encroaching on the sovereignty of the republic. But when it comes to joining the EU, such accusations do not arise. Critics of our initiative simply don’t have the information. The Charter of the Union State clearly states that each participating country retains its sovereignty. Belarus is a vivid example of this… the Armenian people have always flourished in close fraternal ties with Russia, the golden age of Soviet Armenia is the clearest proof of this,” Ghukasyan said.

Political analyst Tigran Kocharyan told NG that there are different points of view on integration into the Union State in Armenian society. “The authorities present this process as a return to the Soviet Union. In this regard, they say that Armenia will lose its independence, and Armenian soldiers will go to Donbass. At the same time, many people imagine integration into the Union State as joining the tandem of Russia and Belarus, in which Yerevan will retain more sovereignty than within the framework of the European Union,” the expert noted.

Kocharyan also explained that the opposition was the first to develop the theme of the Union State. In particular, the second president of Armenia is considered one of the main ideologists of this process, although he himself denies this role.

“Anyway, a certain part of the Armenian population has a great nostalgia for the USSR. In addition, Armenians sympathized with Lukashenko until he began to work closely with Azerbaijan. But at the moment, the topic of joining the Union State is not on the agenda. If opponents of the course of rapprochement with Turkey come to power, they will begin to restore trusting relations with Russia at least to the level that it was before the velvet revolution of 2018. In this sense, the second president correctly pointed out that Yerevan needs to decide who can help it. Only Russia can guarantee Armenia’s security,” Kocharyan concluded.