Armenia’s new prime minister to meet Vladimir Putin for the first time
Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will meet President Vladimir Putin today, at the Eurasian Economic Union Summit in Sochi today. The summit’s official agenda is to further the trading bloc’s economic integration whilst broadening its international activities.
Pashinyan was elected last week after he led mass protests against former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, forcing him to resign. The day after his election, Pashinyan visited Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory over which Armenia and Azerbaijan are at war.
Although Russia shares a military alliance with Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Kremlin has also been involved the dispute by seeking settlement between the two states, and brokering the 1994 ceasefire.
Moscow has been waiting for Armenia’s political situation to stabilise before returning to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Given the increased military tension in the region and Pashinyan’s commitment to the territory, expect to see Pashinyan ask for a more exclusive military deal with Moscow, and for this first meeting to set the tone for future Armenian-Russian relations.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
