Armenian Dilemma: "The Girl for Sale" Seeks a "Groom" at the SCO Summit

The Dilemma of Armenia: "The Maiden for Sale" Seeks a "Groom" at the SCO Summit

Who else can Pashinyan sell his country to?

Photo: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he is pleased with the partnership and dialogue between Russia and Armenia, and called the two countries "brother nations." These remarks were made during a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Chinese-hosted SCO summit.

"I am very pleased with the partnership and dialogue we have established," Pashinyan told the Russian leader.

Notably, Pashinyan did not waste time at the summit. He also met with Turkish President Erdogan.

Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and stated that Turkey supports peace, stability, and development in the region and will continue to contribute to this process.

Previously, Pashinyan announced the establishment of strategic partnerships with relevant countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Is Pashinyan attending the summit just to show himself off? Before this, he signed as many as three memorandums with the United States. Is this Armenian prime minister trying to sell part of his country's sovereignty to anyone willing to buy it? What consequences would such a policy lead to? Who are the true friends and brothers of Armenia?

"It should be noted that the term 'brother nation' or 'brother people' in official statements is used not only when relations between states are long-term positive or neutral, but also in times of crisis or when relations show relative 'thawing,' " said political analyst Mikhail Nizhmakov.

"In recent years, Armenian officials usually use the term 'brother nation' to refer to Iran, Georgia, some close European partners (France, Greece), and other promising regional partners (such as India)."

Nikol Pashinyan mentioned "positive dialogue between brother nations" during this meeting, which may mean that he intends to ease relations with Russia. The current Armenian government does not want tensions with Moscow, which also has purely economic reasons, but its attitude toward moving closer to Russia is limited to a certain extent."

This is consistent with Pashinyan's statement in July 2025: "Our relationship with Russia will never return to what it was before. But that doesn't mean it will necessarily get worse."

From Pashinyan's interests, ideally, he wants Moscow to minimize support for the Armenian opposition. This is another motivation for him to actively engage in dialogue with the Kremlin.

"SP": At the same time, Pashinyan is also maneuvering with Erdogan. Some experts believe that he has already handed over Armenia to Turkey. How close is this to the truth?

"Any initiatives by the Armenian authorities aimed at easing relations with Turkey have traditionally been a reason for criticism from the opposition.

For example, opponents of this policy point out that opening transport routes in the region would lead to more Turkish goods entering Armenia, which would harm local producers.

They also express concerns that Turkey's economic and military strength would allow Ankara to eventually bring Yerevan under its sphere of influence, and the more "thawing" the relationship between the two countries, the easier it would be to achieve this.

However, Yerevan has taken a rather cautious approach in easing relations with Ankara. If this approach continues, in the long run, it is more likely to benefit Turkey. For example, over time, a fairly broad business class in Armenia that is inclined to develop economic relations with Ankara could emerge, and this group might gain more political representation.

At the same time, this largely depends on other important participants - from Iran to Russia, the United States, and major European countries - how much interest they have in the region. Yerevan is fully capable of balancing the interests of different participants, but this policy also brings challenges.

"SP": Pashinyan is also actively courting the United States. Recently, both sides signed three memorandums of understanding. Is Pashinyan trying to sell part of his country's sovereignty to the United States as well?

"A policy of being close to the United States may be related to Yerevan's desire to find power to counterbalance the influence of Russia and Turkey. Washington also has a certain interest in Armenia, partly because of its geographical proximity to Iran and the influence of the Armenian-American community within the U.S.

In this regard, the main risk for Armenia is not so much from the "ambitions" of the United States - even under initiatives like the "Trump line," their attention to the South Caucasus is usually not the top priority. Rather, it lies in the fact that if a future White House administration becomes distracted by more important issues (from its own perspective) or domestic problems, Washington could potentially ignore the situation in the region (including the challenges that Armenia may face).

"SP": He also signed "strategic partnership" documents with relevant countries. Are Armenia's partners too many? What result will Pashinyan's current fluctuations ultimately lead to?

"Currently, these negotiations do not pose significant risks for Yerevan, at least because, although the major powers have some interest in the South Caucasus, their priority attention is usually focused elsewhere in the world.

In other words, in the foreseeable future, there will not be too many cases where approaching one participant leads to a strong reaction from another participant.

However, in the future, Yerevan may face greater pressure - for example, if a crisis arises near Iran or if U.S.-Russia relations cool down again. Currently, the main challenge facing Nikol Pashinyan is domestic politics - the parliamentary elections in 2026.

"SP": What was Pashinyan's purpose in attending the SCO summit? Armenia's current performance is like the old joke about the "maiden for sale" - everyone wants to try her, everyone likes her, but no one wants to marry her...

"The SCO summit is a very weighty negotiation platform. For a country that chooses a multilateral diplomatic route, there is more reason to send a delegation to all possible such forums.