Page 58 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine April 2025

58 Opinion
bne April 2025
COMMENT
Armenia, the last man standing Richard Giragosian in Yerevan
After recent meetings with American and European officials, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remains committed to steering his country closer
to the West. But in a neighbourhood of authoritarian strongmen, the Armenian leader is increasingly isolated and exposed as the sole democratic statesman left standing in the region. And with expectations of a resurgent Russia, an adamant Azerbaijan and a troubled Turkey, Armenia’s Westward pivot is likely to face mounting challenges and meagre choices.
Pashinyan has only accelerated his desire to steer Armenia much closer to the West. Pursuing a policy to simultaneously distance the country from Russia, Pashinyan’s accelerated “pivot to the West” strategy also gained fresh momentum
in February, with three key visits, to Washington, Paris and Munich.
This three-pronged Westward drive opened with a four-day visit to Washington in early February, with the Armenian leader meeting with the US Vice President JD Vance in the White House, conferring with several members of Congress and addressing Washington-based think-tanks. The Washington visit was followed days later by a visit to Paris
to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, a strong supporter of Armenia.
This second leg of Pashinyan’s strategy also revealed the Armenian emphasis on deepening ties with Europe on two levels: institutional linkage with the EU itself, while also focusing on relations with individual EU member states.
The Armenian leader’s third visit this month, to the Munich Security Conference, also highlighted Armenia’s reassertion of a bolder and more independent foreign policy, especially after years of submission and subordination to Russia. This was evident in Pashinyan’s courting of several EU leaders in Munich, which was only bolstered by a fresh pro-EU display back home in Armenia.
Armenian parliament’s EU aspirations
Beyond the prime minister’s February meetings in the West, domestic developments in Armenia only strengthened
this pivot to the West. After a public campaign last year
by pro-Western and pro-government groups advocating
EU membership, the Armenian parliament adopted a bill in January heralding the “start of a process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union”.
In a neighbourhood of authoritarian strongmen, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is increasingly isolated and exposed. / primeminister.am
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