The activation of contacts between Armenia and the US opens up new opportunities, but saying that Washington will be able to replace Moscow as Yerevan’s key economic partner in the near future is at least premature. This opinion was expressed by Suren Sargsyan, an expert in American studies.
According to him, Armenia’s economy has remained closely linked with Russia’s for decades, and these ties cannot be quickly restructured. “We are connected to Russia by thousands of economic threads. I do not think these relationships can be completely replaced by cooperation with the United States,” the expert noted.
Sargsyan explained that the reason lies not only in the geographical distance of the US but also in the lack of a sufficiently developed legal framework between the two countries. Despite the signed Charter on Strategic Partnership, he views the current stage of Armenian-American relations merely as the beginning of a longer process.
US does not rely on investments, but only places Armenia in the “green zone”
The expert points out that Washington’s current policy toward Armenia differs significantly from a model of direct investment.
According to him, the US today is not investing funds directly into the Armenian economy, but rather lifting restrictions for its own business, allowing American companies to supply modern technologies and equipment to Armenia.
“Washington is not saying, ‘We are investing in Armenia.’ It is telling its business, ‘Armenia is a green zone; if they have the capabilities, you can sell them technologies,'” Sargsyan explained.
In his opinion, this exact approach underlies the discussions on the potential supply of high-tech products and the development of new areas of cooperation.
Too many questions remain around the modular NPP
However, the topic of building a modular nuclear power plant in Armenia using American technologies does not fit into the general context, he said.
Sargsyan noted that the Armenian Center for American Studies, which he heads, has studied the assessments of American specialists regarding small modular reactors. The results of the study show that even within the professional community in the US, the attitude toward this technology remains very cautious.
According to him, many authoritative experts point out that the technology has not yet undergone full practical verification, and a number of unresolved issues remain.
This concerns both the long-term safety of reactors for humans and the environment, as well as the efficiency of electricity generation, operating costs, and the potential consequences of their widespread use.
The expert emphasized that as of today, neither in the United States itself nor in other countries are there fully deployed commercial projects that would allow for a definitive assessment of all the advantages and risks of such plants.
Armenia must not become a testing ground
According to Sargsyan, it is unacceptable to turn Armenia into a site for testing technologies that are not yet fully proven. He noted that such concerns are expressed precisely by American specialists, and not just by Armenian analysts.
In this regard, Sargsyan considers it premature to draw definitive conclusions about the prospects of building such a plant in Armenia. According to him, not only the question of the project’s technological reliability remains open, but also the question of who could ultimately act as its investor.
The expert emphasized that the development of Armenian-American cooperation is an important process; however, when making strategic decisions, it is necessary to proceed primarily from the long-term interests of the country rather than political conjuncture.