06.30.2017

The push to cut the umbilical cord with the Soviet Union started early in Armenia. In March 1991 the Soviet Union was on life support and the central government called for a referendum asking the citizens whether the USSR should continue in a reformed structure - about 78 percent of voters voted yes. Not in Armenia - the republic was one of the few which boycotted the ballot altogether. Yet 25 years since becoming an independent state, the umbilical cord has been cut only nominally. Today Moscow retains a strong grip on Yerevan - less evident, yet more troublesome. Russian soldiers co-patrol the borders with Iran and Turkey, Russian military bases are firmly settled in the country, and Armenia is a member of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Moreover as the economy struggles, Russia is the primary destination for Armenian workers in search of jobs, to which in 2015 their remittances contributed to 14.5 percent to the state budget. In 2016, 60 percent of the $896.9 million transferred from abroad to Armenia came from the Russian Federation.