Sending Armenian mission to Syria treated as curtsey to Russia

Armenia has agreed to send a humanitarian contingent in order to soften the existing disagreements with Russia, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 8, a group of 83 Armenian specialists arrived in Syria. "Armenian experts will carry out humanitarian activities exclusively outside the combat zone," said Artsrun Ovannisyan, the Armenian Defence Minister.

The departure of the humanitarian staff to Syria will strengthen Armenia's position in discussions with Russia, but, on the other hand, there is a risk of misunderstanding on the part of western partners, Ruben Megrabyan, an expert of the Centre for Political and International Relations, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on February 9, noting that any direct or indirect participation of the Armenian contingent, in case of an offensive of Russian troops in Syria, will be regarded unacceptable by Western countries. However, in his opinion, at this stage, the Russian command does not plan such actions.

Armenia has agreed to send the humanitarian contingent in order to mitigate existing differences with Russia, said Grant Mikaelyan, a political analyst and a scientific collaborator at the Caucasus Institute.

"The date of departure may have to do with the intensification of talks about the candidacy of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) Secretary General. It is possible that Armenia is hoping to strengthen its arguments," Mr Mikaelyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 10, 2019 at 06:24 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.