Tuesday, January 26 2016 18:33

Views from Moscow: Its time to consider Armenia as a gateway into the new global world

ArmInfo. Lifting of the sanctions from Iran opens up a new page of the Great Game in the Caucasus and in the Middle East. Such large-scale shifts will obviously change the role of each of the players involved in the game. Time will show what it will be like. But even today it is possible to speak of the new opportunities, including for Armenia, Sergey Grinyayev, Director of the Russian Center for Strategic Assessments and Forecasts, says in an interview with ArmInfo.

"I would not overestimate the situation or pin great hopes on the transit status of Armenia - the current global projects linking the key economic regions of the present-day world are somewhat different.

"It is another matter that under the new conditions the role and significance of the Armenian Diaspora is growing. The Diaspora has strong roots in many countries and the transport routes lie through those countries' territories. This is what should be thought about. Several years ago, at the dawn of the Eurasian integration processes, we expressed the idea to consider Armenia as a gateway into the

global world. At that time, no one in either Armenia or Russia took our proposals seriously, but it has appeared that our proposals are topical again. It is the new role and significance of the Armenian

Diaspora that can prove to be of much importance to Armenia under the new conditions of the big geopolitical game," the expert says.

Grinyayev thinks one should take into account that 2016 is a year of key transformations that lay the basis of

a new global financial and economic system. The formation of two powerful economic centers - Pacific and Transatlantic Economic Partnerships - is nearing completion, the Eurasian integration processes are gaining momentum and the projects within the new Silk Road Economic Belt are becoming realistic.

"All these processes will change the economy of the next few decades and Armenia should also take part in these processes not only as an EEU member, but also as a sovereign state with all its national goals and interests. In this light, I think it is time to get back to our scenario of the mid-term outlook for Armenia and to look at Armenia as a gateway into the new global world," he says.

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Views from Moscow: Its time to consider Armenia as a gateway into the new global world