Summary Armenian PM makes sharp criticism of Russia
Says it looks like it's leaving the wider region
Accuses Russian peacekeepers of failing to do job
Says it was a mistake to rely only on Moscow for security
LONDON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Armenia's prime minister has said his country's policy of solely relying on Russia to guarantee its security was a strategic mistake because Moscow has been unable to deliver and is in the process of winding down its role in the wider region.
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Sunday, Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia of failing to ensure Armenia's security in the face of what he said was aggression from neighbouring Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Pashinyan suggested that Moscow, which has a defence pact with Armenia and a militray base there, did not regard his country as sufficiently pro-Russian and said he believed Russia was in the process of leaving the wider South Caucasus region.
Yerevan was therefore trying to diversify its security arrangements, he said, an apparent reference to its ties with the European Union and the United States and its attempts to forge closer ties with other countries in the region.
"Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition," Pashinyan told La Repubblica.
"But today we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons, arms and ammunition (for the war in Ukraine) and in this situation it's understandable that even if it wishes so, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's security needs.
"This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake."
His words underscore resentment inside Armenia about what many there see as a failure by Russia to defend their interests.
There was no immediate response to Pashinyan's interview from Moscow, which has chaired talks between Yerevan and Baku in what it says is the complex search for a peace deal.
Moscow has in the past bridled at such criticism, defended its actions, and rejected the idea that it has downgraded its foreign policy priorities because of Ukraine.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but its 120,000 inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians. It broke away from Baku's control in a war in the early 1990s. Heavy fighting took place again in 2020 until Russia brokered ceasefire.
Pashinyan accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to uphold the ceasefire deal of failing to do their job.
Reporting by Andrew Osborn Editing by Angus MacSwan
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altahor42 on September 3rd, 2023 at 14:38 UTC »
Azerbaijan paid a great price and expelled the Russian army from the country in the 90s.
Armenia chose the easy way and entrusted its borders to Russia. Even today, all borders of Armenia, except the Azerbaijani border, are under Russian control. In this way, the Armenian army was able to concentrate on a single front.
While Azerbaijan continued to buy weapons from Russia and trained its army in military schools in Turkey, it was also making commercial agreements with European countries. Armenia trusted Russia and continued to sleep. They did not try to establish any contact with Turkey. Armenia limited his relations with the West in order not to anger Russia, and did not even open an Israeli embassy to please Iran.
Moreover, they set up their geopolitical game to oppose Turkey. If you ask an Armenian what the geopolitical importance of Armenia is, they will say two things.
1) We provide connection between Russia and Iran (they define this as the north-south corridor)
2) We stand between Turkey and Azerbaijan (and other Turkik countries) and prevent them from physically connecting with each other
For this reason, Armenia is trying to achieve its goals by selling itself to Turkey's rivals. But Turkey is much more important to all the countries in the world and a small concession from Turkey is more valuable than anything Armenia can give. In short, this is not a game that Armenia can win.
linkelek1 on September 3rd, 2023 at 12:25 UTC »
Depending solely on Russia for X is 'strategic mistake'
Winstonoceaniasmith on September 3rd, 2023 at 11:52 UTC »
SS: Armenia's prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that Armenia's policy of solely relying on Russia to guarantee its security was a strategic mistake. Despite membership of CSTO Russia's equivalent to NATO Russiahas been unable or unwilling to act and is in the process of winding down its role in the wider region. It is proposed that this is due to a perceived lack of loyalty by moscow.
Yerevan was therefore trying to diversify its security arrangements, he said, an apparent reference to its ties with the European Union and the United States and its attempts to forge closer ties with other countries in the region.