Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russian political scientist and editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Analytics Sergei Markedonov says he believes the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia in June "will not be exclusively a domestic political event.”

“The elections will be the first nationwide campaign since the complete loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and its de-Armenization. They will take place amid large-scale transformations in the regional security architecture of the South Caucasus, which do not fit neatly into the familiar dichotomy of ‘Russia vs. the West,’” Markedonov writes.

“We once viewed campaigns in post-Soviet states as an endless series reflecting competition between Russia and the West for influence. But now we are observing other interesting developments. Take, for example, the recent candid confessions by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan: 

“Elections are coming up in Armenia in early June. This will be an important milestone. Currently, polls show Mr. Pashinyan in the lead. And we truly support his constructive role...” 

Ankara is thus sending a clear signal about its preferences. It seems that Baku is 100% ready to agree with this assessment,” the Russian expert notes.

At the same time, he observes that while many perceive Pashinyan as a “transmitter of the opinions and interests of the Turkic tandem,” “the prime minister himself accuses his opponents (including Catholicos Karekin II) of waging a ‘hybrid war’ against his country.” 

Sergey Markedonov emphasizes that “in reality, everything is far more complex” and continues: 

“Armenia is undertaking an ambitious attempt to ‘reset’ its national-state project. In fact, we are witnessing a systemic transformation of Armenian identity. Citizens are being asked to support not merely a man named Nikol Pashinyan, but the ‘Real Armenia’ project, which radically departs from historical traditions and symbols of the past and proposes a new system of coordinates both internationally and domestically. Does this mean that the success of this Armenian identity revolution will change the country forever and unconditionally? Anything is possible, but history does not move in a straight line – just look at neighboring Georgia. However, that is a completely different story.”