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West Accused Of ‘Trying To Tear Armenia Away From Russia’


Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia (file photo)
Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia (file photo)

A senior Russian official has accused the West of “trying to tear Armenia away” from Moscow, drawing parallels between Ukraine and the South Caucasus nation.

“The West has a beastly grip on Armenia after it failed its policy in Ukraine,” Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

“The West, whose plans in the Ukrainian direction have completely failed, has grabbed onto Armenia with the same beastly grip, trying to tear it away from Russia,” she continued.

Zakharova referred to the latest steps of the Armenian leadership, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s refusal to attend an upcoming summit of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in Minsk, the expansion of Western arms supplies to Armenia, and “the friendship of Yerevan and Kyiv” as to “links of the same chain.”

“Only, it seems to me that this is a chain of enslavement,” the Russian diplomatic representative said.

Zakharova further claimed that it is “recommendations from the West” that prevent the Armenian leadership from completing the work on unblocking transport links in the South Caucasus.

She noted that representatives of Moscow, Yerevan and Baku involved in a trilateral working group achieved “significant progress” in June regarding the restoration of a railway link between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“But again, something prevented the Armenian leadership from finalizing the agreements on paper. We know very well what prevented it – it was the “good” advice of the Western friends of the current leadership in Armenia,” Zakharova said.

The official representative of Russia’s Foreign Ministry denied any pressure on Armenia in the matter, but reminded that under the 2020 and 2021 trilateral agreements it is Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that is to exercise control over transport links between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave that would pass via Armenia.

Officials in Yerevan have not concealed their frustration with Russia, considering that as a formal ally it has failed to fulfill its obligation to Armenia to secure its borders and protect its sovereign territory against incursions by Azerbaijan.

Tensions between Armenia and Russia rose further after Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that led to the exodus of the region’s virtually entire ethnic Armenian population. Armenia, in particular, blamed Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh under the 2020 ceasefire agreement between Moscow, Baku and Yerevan for failing to protect the local Armenians.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the policy of his government aimed at “diversifying security relations” as he spoke in parliament on Wednesday.

“We are looking for other security partners. And we are looking for and finding other security partners, we are trying to sign contracts, acquire some armaments. This is our policy,” the Armenian leader said.

Despite the provision in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement that Russia’s FSB is to exercise control over future “transport communications” via Armenia, it is increasingly being viewed in Yerevan as a moot point given the failure of the Moscow-brokered deal to protect ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In their public statements officials in Yerevan have insisted that it is the Armenian side only that should exercise control over all transport links passing through Armenian territories.

The Armenian government recently set up a special unit at the National Security Service tasked with ensuring the safe transit of people, goods and other cargo through the country.

Zakharova said that the latest reaction of Armenian authorities to the matter came as a surprise to her. “Russian border guards have been protecting Armenia’s borders with Iran and Turkey for many years in accordance with bilateral agreements,” she said.

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