In an interview with the Armenian “1in.am” electronic news agency, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan offered extensive analysis assessing the impact of the tragic downing of a civilian Malayasian Airlines Being 777 over Ukraine. According to Shahnazaryan, the civilian aircraft was most likely downed by pro-Russian militia units in Donetsk in the eastern part of Ukraine, probably using the Russian “Buk” anti-aircraft missile system.
.Shahnazaryan went on to say that “obviously, this is a terrorist act, and all responsibility for this, both political and legal, rests with the Putin regime. In this there is no doubt.” He went on to add that “this tragedy, which claimed the lives of 293 people directly proves that it is not only Ukraine’s struggle, but that current Russian policy itself is a threat to Western civilization, European values, and I believe it should be a cold shower for those political circles in Europe that are still consider Russia as a partner. Secondly, it should have a serious impact on NATO, and NATO should draw their own conclusions, and understand that the old existing structural mechanism NATO cannot ensure the security of NATO member countries.”
In terms of the impact of this tragedy on the South Caucasus region, Shahnazaryan also noted that “I have repeatedly said that Russia will next target our region, and to this end, it uses not only Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which Russia will try to strengthen their position, and why not, to provide the Russian military presence at our expense, by because Russia is now in talks with Azerbaijan, and not on behalf of Karabakh and Armenia, removing us from the process. I have a strong suspicion that Russia will try to create serious obstacles to Armenian-Georgian relations.”
He concluded by stressing that “for Europe and the U.S. combined, there must be a shared position, risk perception and the understanding that Russia is not only a colleague, but also a serious threat to Western civilization: This is a test. The test subject is trying to emphasize its areas of influence, and we clearly need to understand that Russia does not respect the independence of its neighboring countries.”
Full interview (in Armenian): www.1in.am/1372816.html
Full interview (in Russian): http://ru.1in.am/1054402.html