1in.am Ahead of the meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council, the Russian Regnum agency has "explained" Moscow's "toughness" towards Armenia and other countries in the post-Soviet space. According to the media outlet, which is considered affiliated with the Russian Foreign Ministry and special services, "it should be understood that Russia's investments in the post-Soviet space are not a manifestation of goodwill nor are they 'compensation for the years of colonialism'; they are made by the Russian state to strengthen its security and improve the living standards of its citizens."
It is stated very candidly, for which one can only be grateful, but the continuation is even more original: "This is precisely why the Eurasian Economic Union was created, to establish a unified market for Russian goods in the vast post-Soviet space. This is also why the CSTO was established, to prevent instability and wars along the borders of Russia. This is why Russia continues to maintain the CIS structures to lay the groundwork for potential mutually beneficial integration of post-Soviet countries."
Let’s admit that Russian state and political figures, diplomats, and experts have not yet made such a logical "chain" public. It turns out that the CIS is not an institution for the cooperation of independent states, but rather for the "mutually beneficial integration" of post-Soviet countries, based on the "dominance of Russian goods in the vast post-Soviet space" and the CSTO's "security umbrella" along Russia's borders.
In other words, Russia's issue is not the equal relations with former "colonies," but rather the potential mutually beneficial integration of the vast post-Soviet space. This is what Western experts refer to as "Putin's plan to restore the USSR." The media outlet may have intentionally "struck a high note," but the essence and propaganda significance of the publication do not change.
Russia has been waging a heavy war with Ukraine for the fifth year now. The price for this can only be the "integration of the vast post-Soviet space." How achievable that goal is is another question. In the specific situation, the issue is how much the Prime Minister of Armenia will succeed in gaining perception and support from EAEU partners. Pashinyan's assessment that "if the EAEU agreement does not work, then the EAEU does not work either" is legally accurate. But in the same way, the CSTO was also an institution for ensuring Armenia's security, which did not function.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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