The political scientist assessed the future of relations between Russia and Armenia

Relations between Russia and Armenia will continue to deteriorate. Moscow has not introduced all possible restrictions yet, it still has trump cards up its sleeve. This was stated by political analyst Tigran Kocharyan in an interview with Izvestia.

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"[Armenian Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan and his advisers thought that after the parliamentary elections they would easily settle relations with Russia, but this is not happening. They still did not understand that the key issue for Moscow is not the outcome of the vote, but the geopolitical choice of Armenia. Therefore, now [Russian President] Vladimir Putin insists on holding a referendum — he wants to know the opinion of the Armenian people on this key issue," the expert explained.

Nikol Pashinyan previously stated that Armenia may demand an annual fee of $2 billion from Russian Railways for the use of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR). According to him, he wants to resolve the issue of the concession in a friendly manner, but if disagreements arise, he will appeal to international arbitration.

In response, the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, said that if Yerevan decides to change the terms of the concession agreement, the Russian side will demand a return on its investments, which have amounted to $396.3 million since 2008.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

A scandal for two: Armenia is trying to talk to Russia from a position of strength