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ARMENIA'S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION WILL STRENGTHEN ARMENIA'S DEFENSE AGAINST AZERBAIJAN, CORY WELT THINKS
by David Stepanyan
Wednesday, September 11, 16:59
Armenia's accession to the Customs Union will apparently strengthen
Armenia's defense in case the conflict with Azerbaijan flares up,
Cory Welt, Associate Director and Associate Research Professor of
International Affairs at the Institute for European, Russian and
Eurasian Studies (IERES) at the Elliott School, said when replying
to ArmInfo's question. He thinks that Moscow will exert even more
pressure on Baku to support Armenia more actively.
The expert thinks that Armenia's membership of the Customs Union
will probably make Azerbaijan be more careful in the matter of use of
force. In the meantime, Armenia's membership will not make Russia look
for a political solution to the Karabakh problem more actively. The
status quo does not so much meet the interests of Russia, but does
not damage these interests either. So, the Kremlin has no reason to
take the risk and change something.
Professor Welt has the impression that Russia exerts pressure on the
countries that are considered to be its closest partners but betray
Russia by establishing relations with the West. He pointed at the
example of Georgia, on which Russia exerts no visible pressure. He
thinks that Moscow mostly pressures the countries that expect some
benefits from the relations with Russia. The Kremlin wants to make
sure that these countries realize that these benefits depend on their
foreign policy.
Cory Welt is sure that in the course of time Russia would seek to
make Azerbaijan join the Customs Union. The expert also thinks that
Russia would try to do that by means of the carrot diplomacy rather
than the stick policy.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=007733F0-1AE2-11E3-B88C0EB7C0D21663
by David Stepanyan
Wednesday, September 11, 16:59
Armenia's accession to the Customs Union will apparently strengthen
Armenia's defense in case the conflict with Azerbaijan flares up,
Cory Welt, Associate Director and Associate Research Professor of
International Affairs at the Institute for European, Russian and
Eurasian Studies (IERES) at the Elliott School, said when replying
to ArmInfo's question. He thinks that Moscow will exert even more
pressure on Baku to support Armenia more actively.
The expert thinks that Armenia's membership of the Customs Union
will probably make Azerbaijan be more careful in the matter of use of
force. In the meantime, Armenia's membership will not make Russia look
for a political solution to the Karabakh problem more actively. The
status quo does not so much meet the interests of Russia, but does
not damage these interests either. So, the Kremlin has no reason to
take the risk and change something.
Professor Welt has the impression that Russia exerts pressure on the
countries that are considered to be its closest partners but betray
Russia by establishing relations with the West. He pointed at the
example of Georgia, on which Russia exerts no visible pressure. He
thinks that Moscow mostly pressures the countries that expect some
benefits from the relations with Russia. The Kremlin wants to make
sure that these countries realize that these benefits depend on their
foreign policy.
Cory Welt is sure that in the course of time Russia would seek to
make Azerbaijan join the Customs Union. The expert also thinks that
Russia would try to do that by means of the carrot diplomacy rather
than the stick policy.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=007733F0-1AE2-11E3-B88C0EB7C0D21663