Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet with newly appointed Armenian counterpart

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will today meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Miryozan’s visit will revive previous bilateral talks on recovery efforts for Armenia’s war-torn economy in the wake of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border conflict this the past year. In the wake of Azerbaijan’s triumph, Russia entered the fray as a mediator and peace broker, using the threat of Moscow’s military to force both sides to agree to peace talks.

In finding new ways to intertwine itself in the economies and the security of neighboring nations, Moscow is looking to change its perception as an iron-fisted interventionist in former Soviet nations. Simultaneously, with their earlier deployment of 2000 Russian troops in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, Moscow is forcefully showing all parties that it intends to remain critical to the peace and security of the region. By acting as a credible peace broker between Baku and Yerevan, Moscow hopes that short-term European attention will be diverted from similar influence-building campaigns in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. Ultimately, expect more Russian intervention in the local affairs of Caucasus countries as a deterrent against interference by Turkish, American or European interests on Russia’s borders.