By Onnik James Krikorian

Under Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia has started the process of seeking to undo decades of deepening dependence on Russia. This process, however, is not an easy one. Moscow still maintains control over Armenia’s strategic industries, not least in the energy sector. It also has myriad ways of influencing Armenia, including through migrant workers and the influence of Russian media. Meanwhile, the EU and U.S. are preoccupied, including with deteriorating relations with neighboring Georgia. In the end, to escape dependence on Russia, they key for Armenia is the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, a process that is nevertheless not moving fast enough. As Pashinyan’s popularity wanes, Armenia’s positions between Brussels and Moscow is precarious indeed.

Read Between Brussels and Moscow: Armenia's Geopolitical Balancing Act.