Russian protectorate did not provide adequate protection, Armenia did not use all the diplomatic opportunities for a settlement – Daniel Fried

American analysts continue to discuss the elections in Armenia, regional developments and American involvement, Voice of America reported.

The United States expressed readiness to support cooperation and the settlement of unresolved issues in the region, urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume substantive talks within the OSCE Minsk Group. Washington also praised Russia’s efforts to promote regional stability, the U.S. State Department said. According to Daniel Fried, a former high-ranking American diplomat-analyst, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been hampered by the extreme positions of the parties.

“I and many other Americans have been involved in attempts to resolve this conflict. We have all failed because both Armenia and Azerbaijan were completely absorbed by only this conflict,” said the former diplomat. He claims that as a result, Armenia has failed to develop. Instead, Armenia was confident that it was invulnerable, had won in the past, would win again, which did not happen, says Fried. He emphasized that Armenia must be able to develop independently. The Americans can help, “of course we are not going to leave them, we will continue to work for a lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said the former diplomat, stressing, however, that today the situation has changed.

“Armenia must think about its future. The Russian protectorate did not provide adequate protection, but Armenia also did not use all the diplomatic opportunities for a settlement. Now the situation has worsened,” Fried said.

He called the democratic elections in Armenia and Nikol Pashinyan’s victory as a positive trend. For his part, analyst Michael Rubin believes that Pashinyan should not interpret his success as an endorsement of his actions during the war. “The Armenian public has openly expressed its dissatisfaction with what happened last November, yet the majority of the people did not prefer the second president as an alternative. The people of Armenia want democracy, but they want a more transparent government that will not lie throughout the war,” he said. According to Rubin, a more active American involvement in Armenia and the region remains questionable. There are many opportunities after the election where the United States and Armenia can work together, the analyst said, stressing that it is possible to focus on those issues. “Today, not only the government, but also the Armenian politicians in the opposition camp should focus on how best to strengthen the Armenian-American alliance,” he said. Both analysts point to the recent U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Daniel Fried says, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Biden administration is a step aimed at making Armenia think about its future.