Ara Papyan: Russia - U.S rapprochement failed
Expectation from the Trump Administration to improve relations with Russia were a bit exaggerated, head of Modus Vivendi analytical center Ara Papyan told a press conference on Monday, saying Russians thought Trump would fulfill his pledges over the Syrian conflict, yet those hopes didn’t come true.
“The rapprochement between Russia and the United States actually failed with Russia adopting a policy of resistance and opposing, which puts Armenian in unfavorable situation. Armenia has always suffered while occurring in between the two opposing fronts,” the speaker noted, adding in contrary to this, Turkey made gains out of the Syrian conflict.
Papyan didn’t’ rule out there are certain long-term goals at stake in the Syrian issue, specifically with possible spillover of the processes to Iran.
In Papyan’s conviction, Russians are the ones who maintain Assad to his post, likewise success during the Palmira operation came due to Russians’ support.
As to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib province, in Papyan’s words, Assad would hardly use it, since that was contrary to both his interests and the reputation.