The number one force undermining Armenia’s sovereignty is the current government: Stepan Danielyan

The European Union’s decision to allocate 15 million euros to Armenia is definitely an intervention in the country’s domestic political processes and elections, but this should not come as a surprise, political scientist Stepan Danielyan said in an interview with Aysor.am. According to him, this is part of the broader geopolitical competition unfolding in the South Caucasus.

“In previous years, both the NATO Secretary General and the EU Commissioner for this region openly stated that their top priority is to ensure Russia’s withdrawal from the region. There were also well-known cases in Georgia where the government accused European institutions of attempting to trigger a revolution. The ultimate goal is access to Central Asia. Under such geopolitical conditions, discussions about human rights and sovereignty become superficial,” Danielyan noted.

He added that Armenia’s current government is itself acting within the same geopolitical logic, seeking to prolong its rule through similar approaches.

“The incumbent Prime Minister and his team claim they are fighting against an empire, refusing to be a periphery; they accuse certain bishops of being KGB agents and suggest that the Catholicos serves a foreign geopolitical center – clearly implying Russia. Armenia’s current authorities are fully operating within this narrative and are seeking external support for their own political reproduction. In other words, the main driver of geopolitical influence in Armenia’s domestic political landscape is the government itself. In this situation, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and others are essentially serving the interests of the current authorities,” he said.

When asked whether the EU may attempt to block a change of power in Armenia, Danielyan responded:

“Decisions in Armenia must be made by the people. We need to work with the public and explain that our sovereignty must come first, and no external force should be allowed to obstruct sovereign decision-making. Today, the primary force undermining Armenia’s sovereignty is the current government.”

Asked whether he found the opposition’s actions satisfactory, the political scientist replied:

“If I considered the opposition’s actions satisfactory, we would not still have this government.”