Expert: Russian president`s statements in Moscow aimed at Influencing  pre-election sentiments in Armenia

ArmInfo.  The statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow during his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan were addressed to Armenian  voters and aimed at influencing pre-election sentiments in the  country. This is stated in a commentary received by ArmInfo by Aghasi  Tadevosyan, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and  Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of  Armenia and a cultural anthropologist, on the April meeting of the  Armenian and Russian leaders in Moscow.

According to him, the Russian president essentially used a carrot and  stick tactic. "On the one hand, he voiced threats and similar  statements, but on the other, it was very interesting that he spoke  about the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Russian  peoples and the traditions that underpin this friendship. At the same  time, he emphasized fostering a positive attitude toward the Russian  businessman, a pro-Russian politician, as he called him (Samvel  Karapetyan - ed.)," Tadevosyan noted.

According to the cultural anthropologist, if one were to try to  formulate the Russian president's message in one sentence, it would  be as follows: "Dear Armenian voter, I propose a Russian businessman  or pro-Russian politician in this election. Otherwise, the friendship  between Armenia and Russia will suffer, which means the threats I  mentioned will be realized." "This speech was addressed to Armenian  voters and aimed at influencing pre-election sentiment. It is also  noteworthy that throughout his speech, the Russian president avoided  using the terms 'Armenia' and 'citizen of Armenia,' instead relying  on 'Armenian people,' 'Armenianity,' 'Armenian community,' and  similar expressions," Tadevosyan noted.

According to him, this demonstrates a "value-based approach that  prioritizes not Armenia's sovereignty and statehood, but the Armenian  nation living under Russian jurisdiction." Summing up, the expert  stated that the Russian president's rhetoric fits perfectly with the  logic of the hybrid attacks recently launched against Armenia. "And,  by the way, such talk is being heard at the level of the country's  top official. What consequences could this have, if any? It can be  assumed that it does, and this could be because this talk and these  approaches are being generated by various, so to speak, pro- Russian  circles to influence the mood of Armenian voters during the  pre-election period.  What can be done? We need to approach all of  this consciously and not succumb to manipulation," Tadevosyan  concluded.

As a reminder, Putin and Pashinyan held talks in Moscow on April 1.  The meeting took place in a rather tense atmosphere, with the parties  exchanging mutual accusations. The Russian leader emphasized Moscow's  position on Yerevan's claims against the CSTO, the Nagorno-Karabakh  issue, Yerevan's integration into the EU, and further cooperation  with the Eurasian Economic Union. The Russian leader also conveyed  Moscow's position on the construction of the nuclear power plant and  the persecution of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan in Armenia.  Pashinyan, for his part, assured of the friendly nature of bilateral  relations, recalled the claims against the CSTO, attempted to shift  responsibility for the surrender of Artsakh to Russia, and declared  that Russian citizens would not be able to participate in political  processes in Armenia.