Nikol Pashinyan would turn his back on his pro-Russian foreign policy after Moscow recently left Armenia alone in Nagorno-Karabakh. THEz In a televised speech, the Armenian president said – referring to Russia – that the security measures of the former Soviet republics are “insufficient” and “ineffective” in the Caucasus region. Yerevan also signaled that it would join the International Criminal Court, which previously issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The systems of external security in which Armenia participates are ineffective when it comes to protecting our security and Armenia’s national interests
Pasinján said.
Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which has a clause similar to NATO, if a member is attacked, the other countries must come to its aid. However, the Russian-dominated organization did not want to acknowledge the situation of the Armenians.
The Russians claim that Yerevan itself recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, so they had no basis to intervene.
Kremlin: Moscow categorically disagrees with attempts to blame Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh for something. Russia will continue dialogue with Armenia, including with Pashinyan. In general, Yerevan remains an ally – more Armenians live in Russia than in Armenia itself. pic.twitter.com/iSfaQxUljI
— Clash (Report) September 25, 2023
The Armenian leadership assesses this as Moscow no longer having enough power to act in other regions, so their security network would be significantly transformed.
The two countries are old allies of each other, but recently relations seem to have cooled. The Armenians recently held joint military exercises with the US military, which greatly angered the Russians. In recent days, the parties have written sharp messages to each other, both accusing the other of creating a hostile atmosphere.
Yerevan is now also threatening to leave the CSTO, which would allow it to get out of the Russian zone of interest once and for all.
Cover image credit: Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images
