YEREVAN. – 168 Zham daily spoke with Russian opposition figure Andrei Piontkovsky. Below is an excerpt from the interview.  

How will this combination of West-Russia relations reflect on the Nagorno-Karabakh [NK] conflict, when the situation there is already volatile?   

(…) It is apparent that Moscow raises the tension at any time, oversees, runs the conflict to achieve an objective of its. It is indispensable for Moscow to keep this tension in the NK, just as in the case of other post-Soviet republics.

[Russian President Vladimir] Putin clearly speaks about his plans for the Russian world, annexing territories to Russia, [and] including greater domains of influence. We have seen what pressures Armenia was subjected to when it wanted to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Russia makes Armenia become even more vulnerable and weak. By keeping the NK, it recalls that there is a risk, and Armenia cannot do without Russia, and it needs to comply with Russia’s pressure. And the West bows before all this by following a nuclear blackmail.