Irina Pogorelaya19:48, 09/13/23

3 min.

More recently, Armenia was one of the Kremlin’s closest allies, and now it is conducting joint exercises with American soldiers.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine means that Armenia, no matter what, can no longer rely on the Kremlin as a guarantor of its security.

This statement was made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with POLITICO . As the publication noted, Pashinyan’s unusually harsh criticism of Moscow exacerbates the feeling that the Kremlin is losing influence and its once vaunted superpower status in the post-Soviet space, which Moscow once considered its springboard.

The disappointment in Yerevan could be a major turning point for the country of 2.8 million people, since the collapse of the USSR left Russia with much control over its railways, energy sector and even its borders.

As the publication noted, the Russian Federation is now completely immersed in the war against Ukraine and doubts are growing in Yerevan about whether Putin’s soldiers will be able to maintain peace in the Caucasus. 

“As a result of the events in Ukraine, the capabilities of the Russian Federation have changed,” Pashinyan said, adding that Armenia’s strategy should now be to reduce its dependence on others as much as possible.

“The model according to which we have problems with our neighbors and we have to invite others to protect us… is a very vulnerable model,” Pashinyan emphasized.

Now, it seems, Moscow’s ability to guarantee the status quo is evaporating for Armenia, the publication noted. Frustration over the failure of Russian troops to provide assistance is part of a trend toward worsening relations between Moscow and Yerevan.

At the same time, while acknowledging the need to move away from dependence on old ally Russia, Pashinyan acknowledged that there is a long way to go before Western countries can be seen as offering the full support Armenia needs.

“Our partners, the EU and the US, support us when it comes to the democratic reform program,” Pashinyan said, and then added that he could not say that the support and assistance that Armenia receives “is sufficient to achieve our goals and plans.”

Exacerbation of relations between the Russian Federation and Armenia

Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador for a “difficult” conversation because Yerevan decided to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the first time.

And Armenia recalled its representative in the Moscow-led CSTO military alliance. The country accused the bloc of failing to comply with its requests for support after Azerbaijan launched a cross-border offensive last September. Instead, Yerevan invited American soldiers to conduct joint exercises in the country called Eagle Partner 2023. The Russian Federation did not approve of this step.

(C)UNIAN 2023