Moscow lambasted the United States and the European Union for exerting pressure on Armenia and accused the West of attempting to “squeeze out” Russia from the Caucasus region.
“We are seeing the unprecedented pressure brotherly Armenia has comes under from abroad. Steps are being taken to discredit Russia’s policy in the region in an attempt to damage centuries-old ties between our countries and peoples,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said late Monday in a written statement.
She accused the West of transfer its schemes to confront Russia over the Ukraine conflict, but said that Russia was not worried by those efforts.
“Numerous foundations, NGOs and media outlets acting on orders from Washington and Brussels are redoubling their efforts to instill anti-Russian sentiment in [Armenian] society,” Zakharova said, according to the Tass news agency.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson slammed the West for interfering in the process of settling relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Zakharova said that the West did not take into consideration the the sensitive nature and specific issue unique to the Caucasus.
The real goal of Washington and Brussels is not the development of compromised and balanced solution, but self-promotion and squeezing Russia out of the South Caucasus, Zakharova said.
Citing recent frequent visits to Armenia by officials from the European Union, the OSCE and France, Zakharova accused the West of “appropriating” the agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan that were helmed by Russia, especially the November 9, 2020 agreement, which ended the 44-Day War.
“Hasty initiatives are being pushed forward which do not consider the interests of the entire population in the region. “This will lead to a breach of the balance that was achieved by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan under difficult conditions on November 9, 2020,” Zakharova explained.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson also commented on accusations that Russia is not fulfilling its commitments toward Armenia in the security arena—a claim that has been made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government and his party loyalists.
Zakharova said that it was Russia that stopped the war in 2020 by sending peacekeepers who established peace and stability in the region and still has a decisive contribution to solving military incidents between Yerevan and Baku. She said external players that are attempting to force the withdrawal the contingent only seek to destabilize the South Caucasus.
“We continue the work with partners at all levels in the interest of a comprehensive normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the unblocking of transportation links, border delimitation, agreeing on a peace treaty and solving the humanitarian problems. At the same time, in order to achieve peace, the political will and consent of both sides are necessary,” Zakharova said.
In summing up her statement, Zakharova said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for a new round of talks in Russia to discuss the all trilateral and bilateral issues. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov on Tuesday also referenced Putin’s invitation and said there will be forthcoming announcement about the summit.
Earlier Zakharova was adamant that the West’s efforts to sow discord between Moscow and Yerevan would fail.
“We are determined to strengthen the strategic alliance and multi-faceted cooperation with Armenia which will help us to overcome the existing challenges jointly,” Zakharova said. “We have advanced discussion in all directions including military, political and technical development, while the trade turnover continues to grow at record rates.”
“Major projects in transportation and logistics, infrastructure, the mining sector and technology are being implemented and developed. Dozens of major Russian companies are ready to continue their investments in Armenia’s economy. We are successfully solving the energy and food safety issues of the republic [of Armenia],” Zakharova explained, adding that Russia and Armenia continue to alliances in the science, education and culture sectors. She also pointed out that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union continues to provide “significant benefits to Yerevan.”
