Armenia’s election could redraw the map of alliances | Wider View from Brussels

Kim Kardashian, Cher, Charles Aznavour — all artists of Armenian descent who became icons of Western pop culture. But the country their families hail from, Armenia, has spent most of the past two centuries in Russia’s orbit — first as part of the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union, and more recently as a reluctant partner of Moscow. Is this about to change? It certainly looks so. As Armenia gears up for its election, the links connecting it to Russia are becoming weaker, while the pro-Western orientation is gaining strength. Will it be maintained following the June 7 election? In this episode of Wider View, TVP World’s Marcin Zaborowski is joined by Roland Freudenstein, co-founder of Brussels Freedom Hub, and Rikard Jozwiak, Europe editor at RFE/RL. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction: Armenia’s pivot from Russia and the upcoming election 04:10 - Fraying of Armenia–Russia ties after loss of Karabakh 08:03 - Armenian election stakes and constraints to a turn West 09:40 - Armenia’s diversification strategy and possible hurdles 13:30 - What does the EU have to offer Armenians and public sentiment 17:42 - Putin’s warning 20:21 - Can Russia strongarm Armenia? 24:16 - What should the West do if Pashinyan wins? 🔴 Watch our 24/7 livestream - https://youtube.com/live/9RY46AUtIl4 Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, TVP World is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find world news as seen from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. https://tvpworld.com/   / tvpworldcom     / tvpworld_com     / tvp_world   https://www.threads.net/@tvp_world https://bsky.app/profile/tvpworld.bsk...   / tvpworld.com   https://t.me/tvp_world #armenia #russia #politics