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PUTIN'S THIRD START: WHAT'S IN THE CARDS FOR ARMENIA?
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
05.03.12 | 13:35
Photo: www.kremlin.ru
Russia's powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gained a predictable
first-round victory at the country's presidential election on March
4 by garnering more than 60 percent of the vote.
The results of the presidential elections in Russia cannot but concern
Armenia, as Russia is the main military and strategic partner of
Armenia and a crucial factor for the country's national security.
Only two of the candidates for the presidential post in Russia more
or less publicly spoke about Armenia.
The leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir
Zhirinovsky spoke about Armenia most frequently of all, and he referred
to the country as to a reliable strategic partner.
Shortly before the elections, Zhirinovsky listed the countries in
relation to which, if elected, he intended to pursue a most favored
nation policy in accordance with priorities worked out by history.
Among these countries, according to Zhirinovsky, are eastern Slavic
states (Belarus and Ukraine), the south Slavic state of Serbia,
as well as Armenia. Besides, he identified Turkey as Russia's enemy.
"Turkey was and is an enemy of Russia. Armenia is an ally of Russia,"
said Zhirinovsky on March 2.
Despite the fact that the chances of Zhirinovsky's election as
president of Russia were regarded as almost equal to zero, his
frequent and public appeals to the Armenian subject contribute to the
implantation within the Russian society's consciousness of Armenia
as a reliable ally of Russia in the South Caucasus.
Of course, Putin's position acquires a special importance. His
election to the post of Russia's president was hardly disputed, and
he had already ruled Russia as president for eight years (2000-2008).
Despite the fact that Putin is the conductor of a traditional
policy to strengthen the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership,
he also supports the Russian-Azerbaijani partnership. As president,
he never hid the fact that Moscow is interested in establishing and
maintaining equal relations with Yerevan and Baku.
Two days before the presidential election, in the context of a
possible military aggression against Iran, Putin said: "Much of Iran's
population are ethnic Azeris. It is nearly 20 million people. No doubt,
this would lead to a large flow of refugees to Azerbaijan. We have a
special relationship with Azerbaijan as a country that is a former
republic of the Soviet Union. Here in Russia we have more than a
million Azeris. And, of course, it would have negative social and
political consequences for us."
At the same time, the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Russia organized a grand
concert in support of the presidential candidate Putin. The concert
with the symbolic name "Spring Has Come" took place at one of the
largest arenas in Moscow - the Druzhba sports complex at the Luzhniki
Stadium, and had gathered the leading artists of Russia and Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, today there are no reasons to talk about the possibility
of changes in the Russian-Armenian relations. It is another thing
that out of the five candidates who were vying for Russian presence
it was Putin who was the most "desirable" candidate for Azerbaijan.
From: A. Papazian
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
05.03.12 | 13:35
Photo: www.kremlin.ru
Russia's powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gained a predictable
first-round victory at the country's presidential election on March
4 by garnering more than 60 percent of the vote.
The results of the presidential elections in Russia cannot but concern
Armenia, as Russia is the main military and strategic partner of
Armenia and a crucial factor for the country's national security.
Only two of the candidates for the presidential post in Russia more
or less publicly spoke about Armenia.
The leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir
Zhirinovsky spoke about Armenia most frequently of all, and he referred
to the country as to a reliable strategic partner.
Shortly before the elections, Zhirinovsky listed the countries in
relation to which, if elected, he intended to pursue a most favored
nation policy in accordance with priorities worked out by history.
Among these countries, according to Zhirinovsky, are eastern Slavic
states (Belarus and Ukraine), the south Slavic state of Serbia,
as well as Armenia. Besides, he identified Turkey as Russia's enemy.
"Turkey was and is an enemy of Russia. Armenia is an ally of Russia,"
said Zhirinovsky on March 2.
Despite the fact that the chances of Zhirinovsky's election as
president of Russia were regarded as almost equal to zero, his
frequent and public appeals to the Armenian subject contribute to the
implantation within the Russian society's consciousness of Armenia
as a reliable ally of Russia in the South Caucasus.
Of course, Putin's position acquires a special importance. His
election to the post of Russia's president was hardly disputed, and
he had already ruled Russia as president for eight years (2000-2008).
Despite the fact that Putin is the conductor of a traditional
policy to strengthen the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership,
he also supports the Russian-Azerbaijani partnership. As president,
he never hid the fact that Moscow is interested in establishing and
maintaining equal relations with Yerevan and Baku.
Two days before the presidential election, in the context of a
possible military aggression against Iran, Putin said: "Much of Iran's
population are ethnic Azeris. It is nearly 20 million people. No doubt,
this would lead to a large flow of refugees to Azerbaijan. We have a
special relationship with Azerbaijan as a country that is a former
republic of the Soviet Union. Here in Russia we have more than a
million Azeris. And, of course, it would have negative social and
political consequences for us."
At the same time, the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Russia organized a grand
concert in support of the presidential candidate Putin. The concert
with the symbolic name "Spring Has Come" took place at one of the
largest arenas in Moscow - the Druzhba sports complex at the Luzhniki
Stadium, and had gathered the leading artists of Russia and Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, today there are no reasons to talk about the possibility
of changes in the Russian-Armenian relations. It is another thing
that out of the five candidates who were vying for Russian presence
it was Putin who was the most "desirable" candidate for Azerbaijan.
From: A. Papazian