With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Azerbaijan being high on the regional agenda, the Armenian political circles remain relatively balanced in their opinions on the issue.
The political analyst Levon Shirinyan says the visit is quite normal if viewed from the angle of the bilateral relations’ agenda. But from the regional viewpoint, he 
says, it is a little bit alarming, especially for Armenia.
“The is felt not only in Armenia and [Nagorno-]Karabakh, but also in Turkmenistan and Iran, because they too, have problems with Azerbaijan. This is a regional issue,” he said in comments told Tert.am. “Russia is our strategic ally – perhaps officially – but we know historically that it was Russia that had our country divided between the Turks and the Georgians. So we mustn’t forget the history”
Putin is travelling to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, the visit being the first since his being elected a president. Earlier reports said that the Russian leader will be accompanied by a big delegation, as well as cruisers.
“It is also important that Azerbaijan – while starting an approximation process with Europe – is not seeking for the Association [Agreement] process, but rather trying to gain advantages.
“Azerbaijan has adopted the right approach to the so-called Customs Union which is overestimated for Putin. And they are trying to gain maximum benefits, also in relation to the Karabakh issue,” Shirinyan added.
Aghasy Yenokyan, the director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS), thinks that major complication may arise in autumn while the initialing of the Association Agreement is in process.
“Russia has a clear-cut agenda in relation to the Karabakh issue. [It plans] to deploy Russian troops in Azerbaijan, either in the form of peacekeepers or through the return of the military base. But Azerbaijan will never naturally agree to that; hence the hopes for breaking the stalemate in the relations will remain vain,” he said.