ArmInfo. Using the example of sending the Armenian military to Syria, we once again became convinced of Armenia's ability to help people in need of this assistance. President of the Institute of the Middle East (Moscow) Yevgeny Satanovsky expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
The military contingent of the Armenian Armed Forces of 83 troops arrived with a humanitarian mission in Aleppo on February 8. According to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Armenian specialists will carry out humanitarian activities related to mine clearance, anti- mine informing of the population, providing medical assistance in Aleppo, exclusively outside the zone of military operations. To note, the military contingent of the armed forces in Syria since February 8 Armenia is actually in the Russian group.
"In this, in my opinion, Armenia's distinction from most countries of the so-called Western world manifested itself. At the same time, Armenian-Russian relations, of course, develop not only in linking Yerevan's support for our actions in Syria, for which we are, of course, grateful In my opinion, sending the Armenian military to Syria is also a positioning issue for Armenia - such a step can significantly strengthen Yerevan's international reputation, "the analyst said.
At the same time, participation in Syria, according to his estimates, corresponds to the national interests of Armenia, since the Armenian specialists will most likely go to the areas densely populated by the remnants of the Armenian community. This, in turn, will further strengthen the Armenian-Syrian relations.
Commenting on the negative reaction of the United States to sending Armenian specialists to Syria, Satanovsky suggested that Washington will continue to use any opportunities in order to spoil the Armenian-Russian relations. And this is regardless of the participation of Armenia in Syria.
A statement issued on February 13 by the US Embassy in Armenia states that the US Department of State does not support either military or humanitarian cooperation with the Syrian army. At the same time, the State Department is sympathetic to the desire of other countries to respond to the humanitarian situation in Syria and shares concerns about the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East. According to Satanovsky, today the United States seeks to use Armenia for the realization of its own goals. Accordingly, it is necessary to understand for what purposes and how. At the same time, according to his forecasts, the use of Armenia by Washington as a tool against Russia is quite capable of leading to the destruction of Armenia. "That is why Yerevan should be guided solely by its own, not American interests. The history of this is the best confirmation," the analyst concluded.