RUSSIA DEFINITELY HAS ITS PREFERENCE

Before presidential elections, our society is attentive and sensitive to each candidate’s foreign policy preferences and especially - to the grand powers’ attitude towards them.
During the recent years, the Armenian-Russian political and economic mutual cooperation has deepened to such an extent that Russia in its turn cannot possibly be indifferent to the prospect of the shift of our country’s top figure. Along with the political-military cooperation, Russia’s economic presence in our country has acquired serious volumes. Naturally, the Russian companies, which have invested hundreds and millions of dollars in Armenia, cannot but be interested in the February 19 presidential elections which have a decisive role in determining the way of our country’s further development.
And it is not at all accidental that prior to the elections, two influential officials representing the Russian Federation (State Duma Speaker Boris Grizlov and Prime Minister V. Zoubkov) arrive in Armenia one after another.
Naturally, the senior officials representing Russia demonstrate a restrained behavior while estimating the candidates involved in the political campaign. However, this doesn’t mean that the official Moscow has not previously clarified its preferences in Armenia and decided which of the candidates has a more advantageous role in the future relations between the two countries.
And thus, profiting by the situation which seems uncertain only at first sight, some presidential candidates, and first of all L. Ter-Petrosyan, have been making persistent efforts for the past 2 months, in an attempt to prove to our voter that they unconditionally enjoy the support of Armenia’s allies or friends, including Russia. To that end, the Armenian, as well as the Russian newspapers became simply flooded with interviews and articles on the significant success achieved in the Armenian-Russian relations during the years of the ex-President’s rule. It was quite easy to understand that the order for such publications was made by a someone who really had and still has serious problems in terms of receiving support from Moscow.
B. Yeltsin’s team which cooperated with Mr. Ter-Petrosyan came to be replaced by V. Putin’s political team which established close partnership relations with Armenia. As to the Armenian team, one of the first architects of such relations was acting Prime Minister and presidential candidate Serge Sargsyan. In such conditions, it is natural that both in Armenia and Russia the best solution to the issue of maintaining the significant achievements observed in the Armenian-Russian relations was previously searched and found in the domain of ensuring the succession of the ruling authorities’ policy.
And thus, after the long and senseless “Moscow-oriented” propaganda attack launched by Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s team, Boris Grizlov, Speaker of the RF State Duma, arrived in Yerevan. It should be noted that the Speaker of the 5th State Duma formed in Russia after the parliamentary elections of last December, chose our country for his first official visit. In Yerevan, attaching importance to the further strengthening of the relations with Armenia, B. Grizlov highly appreciated his “long-term and strong partnership relations” with S. Sargsyan, formerly the Defense Minister and currently the Prime Minister of Armenia, and wished him good luck in the forthcoming presidential elections.
Everything was said in a more than clear manner, but at the same time, within the frames of the delicacy and the diplomatic etiquette maintained in the relations between the two independent countries. B. Grizlov's brief speech is quite conceivable and totally invulnerable in terms of disclosing Russia’s preferences with regard to the presidential elections of Armenia.
As to those who are not good at understanding things quickly and properly, they will have to listen to a similar, if not a clearer and a more comprehensible statement, to be made by RF Prime Minister V. Zoubkov who is soon arriving in Armenia.
ARMEN TSATOURYAN

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