Richard Giragossian, director of the Center of Regional Studies announced that the election of Vladimir Putin in the position of the president of Russia would bring some changes in the policy of Russia, and in many cases the policy of the former president Dmitry Medvedev had been instructed by Putin. According to Giragossian, the ideas of the Eurasia union would develop in Russia as he believes Putin would apply more pressure on Armenia to join this union. According to Giragossian, another change will concern the issue of Karabakh. “There will be a change not in the policy but the process itself. Medvedev was very active in the meetings of presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev; he could shake their hands and drink coffee and tea with them for hours. Medvedev’s style to spend more time with the process was his investment and capital into this process, but Putin will not sacrifice much time for those meetings; he will not shake hands and his style will be breaking hands, make pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said Giragossian.
Meanwhile he said that such pressure on Armenia would not work as Serzh Sargsyan is not Robert Kocharyan. “Kocharyan is in good relations with Putin, but Sargsyan does not. This is good for Armenia and means that Putin’s personal pressure on Armenia can’t work, but Putin will abandon the diplomatic priority within the Minsk group,” said Giragossian.