Amid ongoing tensions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his country would not hold joint exercises with Russia this year.
Pashinyan’s statement came after the leader of the former Soviet republic criticized Moscow and the work of Russian peacekeepers in the South Caucasus, which has suffered for decades due to hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to the occupation of the latter’s lands by Armenia.
Speaking to reporters, Pashinyan said he sees no reason for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to hold military exercises in Armenia this year, saying they are “inappropriate in the current situation.”
“These exercises will not take place,” he told reporters.
“Armenia does not consider it expedient to hold CSTO exercises in the republic this year.”
Analysts say Russia, distracted by the protracted war in Ukraine, is losing influence in the South Caucasus after decades of playing the role of power broker.
Pashinyan hinted that Russia, which Armenia considered its “number one ally”, had let his country down. Referring to the 2021 invasion, Pashinyan said, “Armenia was expecting concrete action from its Russian partners and other security partners.”
“This issue is important from the point of view of building further relations,” he added.
Headquartered in Moscow, the CSTO unites Russia and the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The Security Alliance said on Tuesday that it is looking for other sites for exercises.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Pashinyan’s statement “a fairly new statement.” “In any case, Armenia is our very close ally,” he said.
“We will continue the dialogue, including on those issues that are now very difficult.” Analysts point to Russia’s unwillingness to enter into conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus.
Pashinyan also repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect ethnic Armenians in Karabakh and called for the intervention of a multinational peacekeeping force.
As part of the 2020 ceasefire regime, Russian peacekeepers are responsible for ensuring security in the area referred to as the Lachin Corridor.
The Lachin region, located between Karabakh and Armenia, was the last of three regions on the edge of Karabakh that Armenian forces surrendered in December 2020. peace agreement and help the refugees return.
But traffic through the Lachin corridor has been blocked since December 12 by Azerbaijani activists who demanded access to what Azerbaijan called illegal mines in Karabakh. The Armenian authorities called the blockade part of Azerbaijan’s efforts to expand its control over the region and called on Russian peacekeepers to unblock the road.
But Azerbaijan denied Armenia’s accusations that it closed the Lachin corridor, pointing out that Russian troops were blocking the road. Azerbaijan’s actions put Russia in a precarious position. There is a Russian military base in Armenia, and Moscow is the main ally and sponsor of the country. However, the Kremlin also sought to maintain cordial relations with oil-rich Azerbaijan.
By focusing its attention on the war in Ukraine, Russia has taken a wait-and-see attitude towards the blockade of the Lachin corridor, which has angered Armenia.
After the expiration of the five-year mandate of Russian peacekeepers, Armenia may invite UN peacekeepers “if Russia does not fulfill its function of ensuring the security of the population of the Karabakh region,” Pashinyan said.
The 2020 peace agreement, brokered by Russia, also provided for the creation of a transport link between Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through the territory of Armenia. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday accused Armenia of failing to fulfill its promise to provide such a transit corridor.
“Whether Armenia wants it or not, it will be implemented,” Aliyev said in a televised address, calling the corridor to Nakhchivan Azerbaijan’s “natural right”, adding that Azerbaijan does not plan to wage a new war against Armenia.
Earlier, Peskov dismissed the Armenian Security Council secretary’s claim that Moscow pressured Armenia to join the Russia-Belarus alliance.
Commenting on Tuesday’s statement, Pashinyan said that Moscow had not made an official request to this effect, noting that “the reality is not as simple as it seems.”
He added: “Sometimes it’s not the text that counts, but the subtext.”
“The sovereignty of Armenia is an absolute value,” the Prime Minister said.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, an area internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Clashes broke out on September 27, 2020, when the Armenian army attacked civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian ceasefire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and about 300 settlements and villages that Armenia had occupied for almost 30 years.
The fighting ended with an agreement brokered by Russia on November 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
Since then, however, the truce has been broken several times.
