[ Putin's ERA betrayal backstabbing] Big brother Russia

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Russia does not use the term 'Zangezur Corridor': Zakharova

19:50, 27 March 2024

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Federation calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise maximum restraint and avoid aggressive rhetoric, Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Zakharova addressed recent publications in the Armenian and Azerbaijani press that warned about possible new military escalations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the near future.

"Territorial disputes and demands should be regulated in the political-diplomatic domain. This includes resolving the issue of enclaves within the framework of the bilateral commission that deals with Armenian-Azerbaijani delimitation and demarcation issues. We are ready to provide maximum assistance with our exclusive cartographic data," noted Zakharova.

 

According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Federation does not use the term "Zangezur Corridor" in its diplomatic speech.

“It concerns the route connecting the western regions of Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan through the territory of Syunik Province of Armenia,”added Zakharova.

There is a well-established mechanism for developing compromises. This is a tripartite working group of deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.

At the meeting held on June 2, 2023, the parties were close to adopting a comprehensive and mutually beneficial decision to unblock transport and economic routes in the region. We urge our partners to demonstrate political will and resume the tripartite negotiations," stated Zakharova.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1133435.html?fbclid=IwAR3G-gjeTTDVZO6CxlL1gL16QoTEKe9yQsdKHPsP-cJN3-jozgcVuzmJDcI_aem_AWB32Os2mS_DsLP5RXSv3Fe_98IwBHMUIChbBAwa-49xCDHq5vBjIelYTkxXrVQN4JG53pB1fjsd89wp0IW8mMYi

[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

Asbarez.com

CSTO Says It Will Only Protect Borders Recognized by Neighbors

by Asbarez Staff

April 1, 2024

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

CSTO leaders gather in Yerevan for an annual summit on Nov. 23, 2022

 

In response to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Collective Security Treaty Organization said that it will defend a member state only if its borders are recognized by that country’s neighbors, adding an additional wrinkle—and a loophole—to its ongoing and escalating dispute with Yerevan.

The CSTO was responding to repeated questions by Pashinyan, who has said that the Russian-led security bloc must clarify its “zone of responsibility” and has threatened Armenia’s withdrawal from the organization. The prime minister has criticized the group for not honoring its commitments when Azerbaijan invaded Armenia’s sovereign territory in 2021 and 2022.

The CSTO told the Russian RBK news channel that it considers its area of responsibility in Armenia to be its sovereign territory within the regulated national borders, the CSTO told RBC.

“The phrase ‘zone of responsibility’ is quite complex and it is more intended to draw attention to the situation in the republic than to obtain a substantive answer,” the Russian RBK news agency quoted an unnamed CSTO representative as saying. “Because according to the 2010 agreement on the principles of interaction, which was signed by the CSTO, the zone of responsibility is the sovereign territory of the member states.”

“The CSTO zone of responsibility ends at the state border which is settled on a bilateral basis between Armenia and its neighbors,” added the official.

Azerbaijan has declined to recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity in the same vein—and enthusiasm—as Pashinyan, who repeatedly said that Yerevan recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, that included Baku’s rule over Artsakh.

There is also a Russia-mediate effort to delimit and demarcate the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, hence leaving unclear where the borders of each country begins. Official Baku is claiming that the territories invaded in 2021 and 2022 belong to Azerbaijan, yet there are Armenian territories currently being occupied within Azerbaijan.

The CSTO’s statement essentially let the organization off the hook, amplifying a loophole that further complicates the situation, and presumably relations between Yerevan and the security bloc.

https://asbarez.com/csto-says-only-borders-recognized-by-neighbors-will-be-defended/?fbclid=IwAR0eDu8XgE0fdtopYybSXyqCcD6HV0vUuodFejgp9DZK-2JjFPj5K76YFcI_aem_AeYyRa_EQVxC-aoFq9W9LlqejmxVJGCJEI19HBKsN7tjEQV7mPUC8QKzaye1pgTXrLUpN1xZ0i0YK_TNGLvTVHb0

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Moscow calls on Yerevan, Baku to resume trilateral talks —Zakharova

18:12, 3 April 2024

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS. Russia calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume trilateral talks, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We believe that it is high time we reinstated the regular work of the Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral mechanisms," she said at a news conference, Tass reports.

"We urge our partners to show political will, to resume communication that proved its effectiveness in the formats which helped, with Russia's assistance, start the search for effective solutions to the most difficult issues, including border delimitation, unblocking of transportation and logistics routes in the region, and the development of a peace treaty," Tass quoted Zakharova as saying.

According to the diplomat, all territorial disputes and claims between Baku and Yerevan should be settled exclusively by political and diplomatic methods within the bilateral commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

"We are ready on our part to do all we can to help this along," she said.

"Unlike the European Union and the US, which are engaged in wringing concessions from one side and making threats against the other, we have always advocated for a comprehensive, compromise-based settlement of existing differences in the interests of establishing lasting peace and prosperity across the modern-day Caucasus. Our proposal remains on the negotiating table," Zakharova said as quoted by TASS.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1133936.html?fbclid=IwAR3QYeWV0lcCoe94DlkTYui3kpt5c3FAO03VTtfPdVXwUO7cTzrSU7Py30Q_aem_Aa3l_VI3XQxtFoOZt6qIshcFke6m2oD_pRM2oRSZn4Moc8lPDUlGA5GNHFxZKZd4YTgnOxxQggOiPAc6kg78EFf2

[Yervant1]

Moscow doesn't want Armenia to get help from the West, Moscow doesn't help Armenia when needed. Who are we supposed to turn to, when we need help and allies?

MEHR News Agency, Iran

April 6 2024

Russia urges Armenian leadership not to be deceived by West

TEHRAN, Apr. 06 (MNA) – Moscow is urging Yerevan not to be deceived by the West and lead Armenia astray, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement dedicated to the EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting.

Moscow considers "the EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting held in Brussels on April 5, 2024 as another attempt of the collective West to drag the South Caucasus into geopolitical confrontation" the ministry said, TASS reported.

"The extra-regional forces’ irresponsible and destructive interference in the South Caucasus, the urge to drive a wedge between the regional nations and their neighbors may have rather negative repercussions for stability, security and economic growth in the region, to trigger new dividing lines, as well as an uncontrolled escalation of tensions."

"Obviously, the West seeks to turn Armenia into a tool implementing their extremely dangerous schemes in the South Caucasus," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "We are aware that under ephemeral promises, Washington and Brussels seek Armenia’s exit from the CSTO and EAEU, the pullout of the Russian military base and border guards," the statement said.

"We are urging the leadership in Yerevan not to be deceived by the West and lead the country along a wrong path, fraught with creating a security vacuum, serious problems in the economy and the outflow of the population," the ministry said.

The aid in grants announced by Brussels "is pale in comparison with the multi-billion-dollar profits that Armenia is still obtaining owing to cooperation with Moscow and within the EAEU and CIS."

"These are the factors that in recent years have multiplied trade (a fourfold increase since 2018) and, consequently, led to a record high economic growth and better welfare of the population," the ministry said. "We reaffirm our willingness to comprehensively strengthen and expand relations with Armenia based on the principles enshrined in the fundamental bilateral documents and agreements within the framework of common integration assemblies."

Moscow is convinced that "steady progress of the Russian-Armenian cooperation will facilitate the implementation of the fundamental interests of the Russian and Armenian peoples and the enhancement of regional security and stability."

MNA/PR

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/213568/Russia-urges-Armenian-leadership-not-to-be-deceived-by-West

 

 

[Yervant1]

The Telegraph, UK
April 8 2024

Russia warns of ‘negative consequences’ after £230m Armenia-EU deal

Kremlin accused West of looking for ‘geopolitical confrontation’ in the South Caucasus

James Kilner

The Kremlin has threatened Armenia with “negative consequences” after the EU pledged more than £230 million to help it loosen ties with Russia.

Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian prime minister, visited Brussels on Friday, meeting Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, in a display of his country’s diplomatic shift towards the West.

“We will make investments to strengthen Armenia’s economy and society, making them more robust and stable in the face of shocks,” said Ms von der Leyen, pledging the money to “build resilience” among Armenian businesses and society.

After the meeting, the Kremlin accused the West of looking for a “geopolitical confrontation” in the South Caucasus.

Russia’s foreign ministry said attempts by the US and the EU to woo Armenia over the past 18 months were “irresponsible and destructive”.

It said they would “result in the most negative consequences for stability, security and economic development in the region, provoke the emergence of new dividing lines, as well as an uncontrollable increase in tension”.

Azerbaijan accused Armenia of deploying forces along their volatile border after Mr Pashinyan’s Brussels meeting, which Armenia denied.

“Is Armenia following the path of Ukraine or is Armenia being pushed along the path of Ukraine?” askd Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin speechwriter.

Armenia’s relations with Russia have soured since it accused the Kremlin of reneging on pledges to protect it and instead greenlighting an attack last year by Azerbaijan on disputed territory controlled by ethnic Armenians.

The Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh forced Armenia to cede control of the disputed region. Around 120,000 ethnic Armenians fled to Armenia.

Since then, Mr Pashinyan has intensified talks with the West, signed arms deals with France and mounted a diplomatic push that included upgrading its embassy in London from a rented two-room office near Earl’s Court to a Pall Mall townhouse.

This year, Armenian officials have even said they want to quit the Kremlin’s collective security treaty organisation – a military alliance between Russia and several post-Soviet states – and join the EU.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/07/eu-deal-to-help-former-soviet-country-break-from-russia/

[Yervant1]

 

Iranian Labour News Agency

April 8 2024

 

Russia has economic leverage over Armenia: ex-diplomat

Afshar Soleimani, Iran’s former ambassador to Azerbaijan, has said that Russia no longer has military leverages over Armenia.

“Recently, the Prime Minister of Armenia has adopted positions that show that Yerevan is looking to lean towards the West, which, of course, Russia considers this a serious threat to itself. The West, consisting of the United States and Europe, believe that Russia should engage in some new challenges in the South Caucasus, where even the discussion of NATO expansion makes sense,” Soleimani said in an exclusive interview with ILNA. “It should be understood that the supporters and allies of Russia in Yerevan could not remove Pashinyan from power because the West continues to support him, but it should be known that in the end, Russia's tools against Armenia will generally be economic, while previously these tools were military.”

He added, “Russia seeks to protect its surroundings from any Western aggression, and on this basis, Moscow has raised objections regarding Armenia's cooperation with the West.”

The former diplomat noted, “In my opinion, after the recent Brussels summit, a new alignment may take place in the South Caucasus, of which Armenia can be the center.”

endNewsMessage1

https://www.ilna.ir/Section-world-8/1466695-russia-has-economic-leverage-over-armenia-ex-diplomat

[Yervant1]

OREANDA NEWS, Russia

April 10 2024

Pashinyan spoke about the relations between Armenia and Russia

OREANDA-NEWS Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is convinced that Yerevan has not made mistakes in relations with Moscow. The broadcast of the speech in parliament is conducted on the politician's Facebook page (a social network banned in Russia; owned by the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and banned).

At the same time, the Prime minister acknowledged that the relations between the two states are not going through the best of times, but stressed that their importance for the statehood, sovereignty, security and economy of Armenia cannot be overestimated.

"We really have not made a single wrong step in our relations with Russia. There is no place where our colleagues could accuse us of not fulfilling our obligations," Pashinyan stressed.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Armenian authorities are selling their people by changing relations with Moscow to partnership with the European Union and the United States.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the West wants to turn Armenia into an instrument for the implementation of its extremely dangerous plans in the South Caucasus.

https://www.oreanda-news.com/en/v_mire/pashinyan-spoke-about-the-relations-between-armenia-and-russia/article1511014/

[Yervant1]

The West did not steal Armenia, Russia lost it by betraying!

 

Dagens

April 20 2024

Lavrov Calls Out US and EU for 'Stealing' Armenia

Written by Henrik Rothen

During an interview with Sputnik radio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the United States and the European Union of aggressive efforts to pry Armenia away from Russia's influence.

Lavrov described these actions as brazen attempts to accelerate Armenia's detachment from the Russian Federation, reflecting on recent statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the strained relations between Moscow and Yerevan.

A Shift Toward Europe?

Earlier this year, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared its European aspirations and expressed a desire to join the EU.

According to Ararat Mirzoyan, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, the country is committed to a democratic path of development, which is supported by both Brussels and Washington. Mirzoyan emphasized the importance of diversifying Armenia's partnerships while maintaining traditional connections and also "looking to the East."

The tension between Armenia and Russia has been further highlighted by several diplomatic snubs.

In October 2023, Pashinyan declined to attend a summit of CIS country leaders held in Bishkek and expressed dissatisfaction with how the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), led by Russia, and Russia itself, were fulfilling their alliance obligations towards Armenia. The dissatisfaction culminated in November during a CSTO summit in Minsk, which Armenia also chose not to attend.

The deterioration of Moscow-Yerevan relations can also be traced back to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where, following military action by Azerbaijan, over 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced to Armenia, and the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh announced its self-dissolution. Following these events, Pashinyan indicated Armenia's de facto suspension from the CSTO and later hinted at a possible exit from the organization while demanding clear delineation and defense commitments for Armenia’s sovereign territories by the CSTO.

Adding to the complexities, Mirzoyan has pointed out that the CSTO does not recognize Armenia's borders and that the organization's responsibility in the South Caucasus is ambiguously defined.

https://www.dagens.com/news/lavrov-calls-out-us-and-eu-for-stealing-armenia

 

[MosJan]

100%

[Yervant1]

POLITICO

April 28 2024

Russia has nothing to fear from EU in South Caucasus, Armenia insists

The former Soviet republic is seeking closer ties with Brussels amid a break with its historic ally.

BY GABRIEL GAVIN

A seismic shift in Armenia’s foreign policy that has seen it forge closer relations with the European Union is not a threat to Moscow, the country’s ambassador in Brussels insisted amid increasingly tense relations with the Kremlin.

“Armenia’s geography means it historically and practically has so many connections with Russia that only phantasmagoric people think Armenia would take the suicidal step of trying to undermine Russian interests in the region,” Tigran Balayan, the country’s envoy to the EU, told POLITICO in an interview.

“The Armenia-EU relationship is based on Armenian national interests. Currently, our national interest demands that we have exemplary relations with the EU and all its member states,” he said.

“That doesn’t exclude bilateral good relations with Russia, and that’s something we want to explain to our Russian colleagues,” he added.

Earlier this month, at a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the EU unveiled a €270 million package designed to help bolster the economic independence and resilience of the former Soviet republic. Russia currently has an effective monopoly over Armenia’s energy networks, railways and imports of key goods like grain.

While Russia has also maintained control over Armenia’s borders for the past three decades, relations have soured in recent years, with the Kremlin refusing to back the country in its long-running conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. Moscow deployed more than a thousand peacekeepers to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh following a war in 2020, but its troops refused to intervene last September when Azerbaijani forces launched an offensive and sparked the mass exodus of its 100,000 Armenian residents.

Days prior to the attack, Pashinyan told POLITICO that the country could no longer rely on Russia for security and praised Western nations for helping bring about democratic reforms.

Armenia has now suspended its membership of the Moscow-led CSTO military alliance, invited U.S. troops to stage joint drills in the country, and depends on an EU civilian monitoring mission to deter clashes along its tense border with Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, it has stepped up efforts to avoid falling foul of Western sanctions on Russia, working to prevent the export of sensitive goods that could be used by Moscow’s forces occupying Ukraine.

But, according to Balayan, who heads Armenia’s EU delegation, that shouldn’t be seen as a “pivot to the West” at the expense of Russia.

“When we are talking about these issues with Russian diplomats, and I tell them what we are doing, I’ve never received any counterargument as to why we shouldn’t — how European and American investments into Armenia’s economy could harm Russian interests,” he said.

Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took aim at Armenia’s growing ties with Europe and the U.S., accusing the government of “deliberately leading things to the collapse of relations with the Russian Federation.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-has-nothing-to-fear-from-eu-in-south-caucasus-armenia-insists/

[Yervant1]

May 3 2024

Moscow Fearful Of Losing Its Military Bases In Armenia And Tajikistan – Analysis

May 3, 2024

By Paul Goble

Since Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team—who come from a generation formed not in Soviet times and do not speak Russian as a native language—took power in Yerevan six years ago, Armenia has been turning away from Russia and toward the West.

Moscow has supported the domestic opposition to Pashinyan’s team and has even tried to overthrow him in response to this turn and because of its interest in maintaining influence in the Caucasus. Moscow has used the tactic of divide-and-rule politics, currying favor with Azerbaijan to develop its much-ballyhooed north-south trade corridor (Profile.ru, December 19, 2023).

Despite treaty obligations to support Armenia in 2020 and again in 2022 when Azerbaijan restored control over Karabakh and adjoining territories, Moscow’s failure to follow through infuriated most Armenians and gave Pashinyan additional reasons for turning away from Moscow and toward the West. Yerevan has been hopeful that Western countries could provide it with the assistance Russia has not.

Yerevan’s agreement two weeks ago to return four villages to Azerbaijan as part of the peace process sparked new protests not only in border regions, but in the capital itself (see EDM, April 23). Moscow saw a new chance following this decision to exploit Armenian discontent with Pashinyan, which has increased even more since his government demanded that Russian border guards leave the region where the protests originated. This most recent round of protests continue and have similarly had echoes in Yerevan as well (Kavkaz Uzel, May 2). Once again, Moscow’s hopes that it can use unrest for its own ends have thus far gone unrealized. Still worse from the Kremlin’s point of view, Yerevan is now reportedly mulling demands for the closure of the Russian military base at Gyumri (Ekho Kavkaza;RITM Eurasia, April 20).

That consideration might raise the stakes for Moscow on its own, but more importantly, this move from Armenia may prompt other former Soviet states to reconsider the presence of Russian forces in their own countries. Some Russian security analysts suggest that the government of Tajikistan, already outraged by Moscow’s treatment of Tajik migrant workers in the wake of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, is being “infected” by such Armenian thinking and may demand that Moscow close its military base in Tajikistan. This move would, in the minds of some Russian writers, represent the wholesale collapse of Russian influence in the former Soviet space. These analysts suggest that this is the direct result of Moscow’s obsessive focus on Ukraine—to the neglect of developments elsewhere across the “near abroad” (T.me/sytosokrata, April 28; reposted at Charter97, April 29).

Lest the situation develops in that direction, Moscow has stepped up its pressure on the Armenian government to block such a demand. The closure of Moscow’s military bases in Armenia and Tajikistan, however, is probably unlikely in the near term, given that both Yerevan and Dushanbe have long-term agreements concerning these bases, the first until 2044 and the second until 2042.

Even if there is little likelihood Moscow would agree to withdraw, however, any open discussion of this possibility in Armenia and Tajikistan would create problems for the Kremlin. Russia has less leverage in Armenia today than history might suggest. Armenians have long been angry about the Gyumri base and the behavior of Russian officers there, as well as about how the bilateral accord regarding the base does not place any restrictions on the number of soldiers Moscow can place there (Novaya Gazeta, December 10, 12, 2023).

The influence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia is minimal, thus reducing Moscow’s ability to play on any Armenian interest in having the support of another nominally Orthodox Christian country (Window on Eurasia, March 10). Additionally, the new ethnic Russian diaspora in Armenia, which arrived after 2022, is far more liberal and Europe-oriented than the one Moscow has exploited in neighboring Georgia, and is anything but supportive of Moscow’s position (Window on Eurasia, June 3, 2023).

That leaves Russia with its three traditional options. First, ally itself with domestic opponents of Pashinyan, as it has been doing since 2018 (see EDM, April 8). Second, disseminate an active program of propaganda and disinformation (see EDM, October 5, 2023). Third, declare that Armenia is about to be destroyed economically and politically by its leaders and claim that only Moscow can prevent that from happening (see EDM, March 5, 14; VPO Analytics, May 1).

So far, as even some Moscow analysts admit, these threats have not worked (Vzglyad, April 27). Pashinyan and his government have parried these challenges with remarkable success. They have used a combination of tough police action against demonstrators both in the border villages and in Yerevan and numerous meetings with the protesters to prevent the demonstrations from spreading (Vestnik Kavkaza, April 28; Kavkaz Uzel, May 2). They have challenged Russian propaganda about the border, highlighting that any concessions are intended to leave Armenia with internationally recognized and secured borders, and argued that Armenia’s rapprochement with the West in no way threatens Russia. Rather, Yerevan has indicated that Armenia remains interested in having good economic and even political relations with Moscow (Vestnik Kavkaza, April 30).

Such declarations have been so fervent that some Russian writers argue they represent an Armenian effort to “make peace” with Russia (Vestnik Kavkaza, April 28). That view finds some support in the wake of Armenian Foreign Minister Tigran Balayan’s declaration that “Russia has nothing to fear from the European Union in the South Caucasus,” given that Armenia’s location means that “historically and practically it has so many links to Russia,” and that anyone who thinks Armenia can break all of them is living in a fantasy world (Politico.eu, April 28).

Vestnik Kavkaza, however, says that “if Yerevan really wants to calm Moscow, it should give guarantees that there will be no spread of any military presence of the European Union, the United States, and NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] onto the territory of Armenia and not waste time talking about that in the media” (Vestnik Kavkaza, April 28). Given Moscow’s attitude, tensions between Russia and Armenia are likely to grow. Moscow can be expected to use the resources it has, including ties with the Armenian opposition, to try to force Pashinyan to change course, lest he be ousted.

That conclusion is all the more likely because Moscow now has the additional concern that what Armenia is doing is serving as “a bad example” to Tajikistan. Some Russian outlets report that Dushanbe’s consideration of closing of the Russian base on its territory utilizes exactly the same language Armenian officials are using about Gyumri (Infoshos.ru, April 28; VPO Analytics, May 1). Such reports are likely to prompt Moscow to use what resources it has to step up the pressure not only on Armenia but on Tajikistan as well, a move certain to trigger new and broader conflicts in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

• This article was published at The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 21 Issue: 68
  

Paul Goble

Paul Goble is a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia. Most recently, he was director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. Earlier, he served as vice dean for the social sciences and humanities at Audentes University in Tallinn and a senior research associate at the EuroCollege of the University of Tartu in Estonia. He has served in various capacities in the U.S. State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr. Goble maintains the Window on Eurasia blog and can be contacted directly at paul.goble@gmail.com .

https://www.eurasiareview.com/03052024-moscow-fearful-of-losing-its-military-bases-in-armenia-and-tajikistan-analysis/

Edited May 4, 2024 by Yervant1

[Yervant1]

May 7 2024

Armenian PM Threatens to Ban Russian TV Channels

Armenia could ban Russian television broadcasts if Moscow continues ignoring Yerevan’s requests for more balanced coverage, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Tuesday.

“We expect the broadcasts of Russian TV channels to respect the citizens and the state system of Armenia,” Pashinyan said during a marathon press conference, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. “We ask for a respectful attitude toward Armenia and its interests.”

Russian state television has regularly aired attacks on Armenia’s leadership and policies since relations between the two countries soured over Moscow’s failure to prevent Azerbaijan from seizing control over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region last fall. Russia had maintained a peacekeeping mission in the region following a brief war between Baku and Yerevan in 2020.

Independent Russian media previously reported that the Kremlin had ordered state media and lawmakers to blame Armenia for Azerbaijan’s attack in September 2023.

Armenia issued a 30-day suspension in December for the local branch of the Kremlin-funded Russian broadcaster Sputnik over remarks by the pro-Kremlin TV personality Tigran Keosayan, who is the husband of RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.

Likewise, the Armenian authorities blocked pro-Kremlin TV host Vladimir Solovyov’s shows in March over “continuous violations.”

According to Interfax, Pashinyan threatened Tuesday that “if the numerous demands are ignored, there’s no other way [but for] all these [Russian] TV channels to be switched off and not broadcast in Armenia.”

“We’ve already asked and demanded seven and more times, and we will demand two more times. If not, then let’s put on record what our next step will be,” he said.

Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has stepped back from its role as a regional power broker as it has been forced to redirect most of its military and resources toward its war effort.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/05/07/armenian-pm-threatens-to-ban-russian-tv-channels-a85057

[Yervant1]

eurasianet

May 7 2024

Russia willing to show Armenia the CSTO door Moscow ups the ante on Yerevan.Ani Avetisyan May 7, 2024

Russia is piling the pressure on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, daring him to take Armenia out of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Responding to Pashinyan’s latest comments about the potential full withdrawal of Armenia from the CSTO, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Yerevan is “free to end its membership” in the security organization.

“We still do not question the sovereign right of our Armenian partners to independently determine their foreign policy course, including in the context of the further work of the organization,” Zakharova said at an early May briefing.

Since its decisive defeat in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan’s government has distanced Armenia from Russia and taken steps to enhance ties with the United States and European Union. Many Armenians feel that Russia failed to fulfill its security commitments to Armenia during the last phase of the conflict. As part of its realignment, Yerevan has already frozen its membership in the CSTO, which is the Kremlin’s answer to NATO. Russian peacekeepers also left the region in early 2024, with Armenian officials saying that the troops were no longer welcome in Armenia. Additionally, Armenia kicked Russian border guards out of the Yerevan airport.

Since Azerbaijan forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenian residents out of Karabakh last September, Armenia has had little negotiating leverage in trying to secure a lasting peace deal with Baku. One bit of perceived leverage in the Armenian government’s eyes has been the threat of a full CSTO withdrawal. But Moscow is evidently ready to see if Pashinyan is bluffing.

The diplomatic poker game is part of Pashinyan’s efforts to secure Armenia’s existing borders. He wants CSTO recognition of the existing frontier, hoping that such recognition would forestall any possible future effort by Azerbaijan to seize Armenian territory.

In a speech in March, Pashinyan said that Armenians are asking why the country is still a member of the CSTO, and he “does not have an answer.” Pashinyan went on to say that the country will leave the organization if the CSTO and its leadership “does not outline how they see the borders of the country’s sovereign territory.”

“We are now asking, expecting, demanding that our esteemed CSTO partners answer the question of what is the CSTO’s zone of responsibility in Armenia.” If the Treaty fails to do so, Armenia will leave it. “When? I can’t say”, Pashinyan stated.

Russia’s signal that it will not endorse CSTO recognition of the Armenian frontier at this time creates another challenge for Pashinyan, whose government is also contending with a rising domestic discontent, including a protest march mounted by opponents of recent territorial concessions made by the government.

https://eurasianet.org/russia-willing-to-show-armenia-the-csto-door

[Yervant1]

Insider Paper
May 8 2024


Putin talks with Armenia PM Pashinyan after tensions: Kremlin


AFP - Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, after Yerevan had for months distanced itself from Russia.

Yerevan, traditionally allied to Russia, has for months criticised its ties to Moscow, angry that Russian peacekeeping forces did not intervene during an Azerbaijani offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh last year.

“On our bilateral relations, they are developing quite successfully,” Putin told Pashinyan, who visited Moscow as part of the Eurasian Economic Union summit, in a video published by the Kremlin.

The talks were held five months after Armenia joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), obliging it to arrest Putin should he set foot on Armenian territory.

Putin said that “we always, first and foremost, pay attention to economic cooperation” and did not mention the tensions.

Pashinyan had for months made increasingly critical comments on Armenia’s ties to Russia and was in Moscow for the first time since the tension.

Moscow had accused the small mountainous country of trying to rupture a decades-long partnership.

Armenia had boycotted a summit by a Moscow-led security alliance at the end of 2023 over what Pashinyan described as the bloc’s failure to fulfil its security obligations.

https://insiderpaper.com/putin-talks-with-armenia-pm-pashinyan-after-tensions-kremlin/

[Yervant1]

PRAVDA Ukrainska

May 9 2024

Kremlin announces withdrawal of its troops from number of Armenian oblasts

ANDRII SYNYAVSKYI

The Kremlin said that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed on Wednesday to withdraw Russian military personnel from a number of oblasts of Armenia. Still, some troops will remain on Armenia’s border with Türkiye and Iran.

Source: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: Russian agency Interfax.

According to Dmitry Peskov, the head of the Armenian government said: "Today, due to the changed conditions, there is no such need anymore."

"Therefore... Putin agreed, and the withdrawal of our military and border guards was agreed," Peskov said.

At the same time, "at the request of the Armenian side, our border guards will remain on the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Iranian borders", the Kremlin spokesman noted.

"They will remain there and continue to perform their functions," Peskov added.

Armenia decided not to participate in financing the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) activities, a military-political bloc that is de facto headed by Russia.

In February, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country suspended participation in the CSTO. Then he clarified that the country's final decision on participation in the organisation will depend on whether they explain what they see as their "area of responsibility" in Armenia.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/05/9/7454987/

[Yervant1]

 

Charter 97

May 9 2024

 

Former Ambassador of Armenia In Russia: There'll Be Ultimatum For Pashinyan

Yerevan will leave the CSTO eventually.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to go to the so-called inauguration of Putin, he will also not stay for the Victory Parade. Today, the head of the Armenian government went to Moscow for the EAEU summit. Russian media write that there he will meet with Putin and they will have a difficult conversation.

What is the background of this trip? Charter97.org addressed these questions to Stepan Grigoryan, one of the leaders of the democratic movement in Armenia in the 1990s, a former deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic and former Ambassador of Armenia to Russia:

— I think it's good that Pashinyan did not go to the inauguration. It would be strange that a country that is on the path to democracy congratulated Putin on his victory in the so-called elections. His presence at the Victory Day Parade is also completely inappropriate.

Armenia is currently chairing the Eurasian Economic Union, so Pashinyan is going to this summit. My opinion is that he should not attend it either — there is no place for us there. What for? But the government decided that today, on May 8, Pashinyan will speak at the summit in honour of the 10th anniversary of the EAEU.

Immediately after that, there will be a meeting with Putin. Well, what can we expect from it? Putin has such an assistant Ushakov, who recently told what issues will be the main ones. One of them will concern Armenia's cooperation with NATO, there will be questions on integration processes with the European Union. As Ushakov put it, all these issues will be clarified. Putin will demand that Pashinyan refuses to cooperate with NATO and the EU. This was said directly, not my interpretation of Ushakov's words.

The agenda will also include the issue of our participation in the CSTO, where Armenia has already stopped paying contributions, but last year we froze our participation in all activities of this organization without exception. And Ushakov said that Putin would discuss this point as well. Russia will continue to press on the CSTO issue. Nikol Pashinyan will get an ultimatum: you are either here or there. That's my view of Ushakov's statements.

As for the Armenian side, ours do not say what exactly will be discussed. There are statements that there are many problems and issues related to Armenian-Russian relations, and they will be discussed. As I understand it, Pashinyan is going with the hope that Russia will soften its pro-Azerbaijani policy a little, revise the accents. It is clear that he will not get such a result, he will go there to no avail. But the person wants to go — let him go, we'll see.

— Pashinyan spoke before the trip about the possible closure of Russian TV channels that violate the legislation of Armenia. What other practical steps can Yerevan take to break with Russia?

— I believe that the delay in leaving the CSTO is a serious mistake. We do not have a day when one of the officials does not criticize the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Well, what is it when you constantly criticize the organization, but at the same time you stay in it? This is a huge mistake.

The same is true in the case of television — their behavior towards Armenia, the Armenian people and the authorities of the country is literally humiliating for us. They make different programs dedicated to Armenia and the situation in the Caucasus, where we are insulted. And this is not once, not five times, not even twenty-five times.

Yes, Nikol Pashinyan says that if there is another case, then we will close you, but somehow people already stopped believing that he will take concrete steps. These statements go on all the time, but no concrete steps are taken. Therefore, he spoke and said that we would definitely close the Russian channels, but I did not get the impression that this was taken seriously in society.

There is the same story with the CSTO — daily criticism, every day in a variety of forms, either the chairman of the parliament, Nikol Pashinyan, or the Foreign Minister criticizing the organization. But we are not leaving the CSTO. There are fears in society that this is just talk. I believe that eventually, ours will leave the CSTO and close Russian television.

https://charter97.org/en/news/2024/5/8/594408/

[Yervant1]

 

eurasianet

May 17 2024

 

Armenia: Tax records tell tale of continuing economic dependency on Russia

 

Moscow’s financial gravitational pull on Yerevan remains powerful.

May 17, 2024

Tax records in Armenia highlight the government’s challenge in trying to disentangle the country’s economy from Russia. The single largest taxpaying entity in Armenia, records show, is an electronics retailer that appears to generate a large share of profits from exports to Russia.

Since Azerbaijani forces reconquered Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian government has moved to distance itself from Russia, which many Armenians believe failed to live up to security commitments to defend Armenia’s interests. Politically, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been quick to bolster relations with the European Union and United States. But making a political shift is proving a faster process than reorienting the Armenian economy, which has long been focused northward toward Russia.

Trade with sanctions-strapped Russia has proven highly lucrative for many Armenian businesses, which have reportedly adapted to acting as middlemen for Russian consumers cut off from direct access to Western goods. No entity seems to have benefited more than Mobile Center, an Armenian mobile phone and electronics retailer linked to local businessman Samvel Aleksanyan. The company’s revenue, allegedly boosted by exports to Russia, was such that it has surpassedArmenia’s largest mining company to become the largest taxpayer in Armenia, in terms of monetary contribution made to state coffers.

According to the Armenian government’s State Revenue Committee (SRC), the agency collected over $51 million (20 billion Armenian drams) from MobileCenter during the first quarter of 2024, three times higher than the taxes paid by the company during the same period the previous year. Prior to 2024, the company had not ranked among Armenia’s top taxpaying entities.

The overall total of tax revenue gathered by the state during the first four months of 2024 reached about $846 million (330 billion drams).

Mobile Center’s tax payments topped Gazprom Armenia, the Russia-owned national gas distributor in Armenia, and Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine, another company in Armenia with strong Russian ties.

Armenia’s trade turnover with Russia skyrocketed following the invasion of Ukraine, with the country coming under wide suspicion of assisting Russia in sanctions evasion. Armenia’s exports to Russia tripled in 2022 and doubled during the first half of 2023. Last fall, Armenian government officials said Russia accounts for almost 40 percent of Armenia’s annual exports.

Another business, Yerevan City supermarket chains, also controlled by Aleksanyan, made it to the top 10 taxpayers list. The list also included two local tobacco companies, electronics and household stores, a telecommunications company and the Russian E-commerce firm Wildberries.

In addition to having the largest share of Armenia’s foreign trade, Russia exerts influence over the Armenian economy in other ways, such as ownership of strategic assets. For example, the Russian energy giant Gazprom’s Armenian affiliate, Gazprom Armenia, enjoys a monopoly over the natural gas supply. Russian Railways, meanwhile, controls the country’s railroads.

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-tax-records-tell-tale-of-continuing-economic-dependency-on-russia

[Yervant1]

July 11 2024

 

 

Armenia's NATO Cooperation Raises Concerns, Says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin warned that Armenia's collaboration with NATO could destabilize the South Caucasus and threaten Armenia's own security. Moscow expressed discontent over Yerevan's participation in the recent NATO summit in Washington.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has issued a stark warning about the potential consequences of Armenia's cooperation with NATO. According to Galuzin, this move risks destabilizing the South Caucasus region and undermines Armenia's own security objectives.

Speaking to the RIA news agency, Galuzin expressed Moscow's dissatisfaction with Armenia's involvement in the NATO summit held in Washington. The participation of Yerevan in the summit has particularly unsettled Russian officials, who view the collaboration as a direct threat to regional stability.

These statements underscore the growing tensions between Russia and Armenia, as the latter continues to explore closer ties with Western military alliances, much to Moscow's alarm.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3013040-armenias-nato-cooperation-raises-concerns-says-russian-deputy-foreign-minister

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Moscow Expects ‘Further Steps’ From Yerevan For New Russian Consulate

Հուլիս 17, 2024

 

Armenia - Russian Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin talks to Russian soldiers in Syunik region, June 3, 2021.

 

The planned opening of a Russian consulate in Armenia’s strategic Syunik region requires “further steps” by the Armenian government, Russia’s ambassador in Yerevan, Sergei Kopyrkin, said on Wednesday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry first announced the plans in May 2023 following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Russian officials have since repeatedly visited Syunik’s capital Kapan for that purpose.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov said on June 20 that Moscow continues “working in this direction” and expects to inaugurate the consulate in Kapan “by the end of the year.” The Russian government formally approved the opening of the mission on July 1.

“I would like to note that in line with the wishes of the Armenian side, the decision of the Russian government provides for the opening of a consulate general according to a simplified scheme, without concluding an agreement through the exchange of notes, which is customary in our practice,” Kopyrkin told the Sputnik news agency.

“We now expect further steps from our Armenian partners as well, including taking into account the principle of parity and reciprocity accepted in diplomatic practice,” he said. “As you know, in Armenia we have one consulate general in Gyumri, while our [Armenian] colleagues have consular missions in [the Russian cities of] St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don, not counting two offices in Novosibirsk and Vladikavkaz.”

Kopyrkin did not specify what exactly Moscow expects from the Armenian government.

The Yerevan daily Hraparak reported on June 25 that the government is trying to scuttle the opening of the Russian consulate through local activists of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party. It claimed that one of them, parliament deputy Marina Ghazarian, has collected signatures of Kapan residents opposed to the consulate and submitted them to the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

 

Armenia - Mount Khustup overlooking the town of Kapan, June 4, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Kapan.am)

Ghazarian denied the claim and said she personally supports the Russian diplomatic presence in Syunik. She also told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that many local residents are against it.

Another Kapan-based pro-government parliamentarian, Davit Danielian similarly denied any government obstruction. By contrast, the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan declined to comment on the Hraparak report.

Russian-Armenian relations have deteriorated further over the past year, with Pashinian freezing and pledging to eventually end Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Earlier this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Pashinian’s administration is “leading things to the collapse” of bilateral ties.

Syunik is Armenia’s sole region bordering Iran. Azerbaijani leaders have been demanding that Yerevan open a special corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik.

Iran is strongly opposed to an extraterritorial corridor for Nakhichevan. It inaugurated a consulate in Kapan in late 2022. In Kopyrkin’s words, Russian diplomats have established “working relations” with the Iranian consulate “including on the development of interaction in the Moscow-Yerevan-Tehran triangle.”

During and shortly after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia deployed troops to Syunik to help the Armenian military defend the strategic region against possible Azerbaijani attacks. In recent weeks, Moscow has withdrawn Russian soldiers from Syunik as well as other sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border at Yerevan’s request.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33040417.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1R0Xo2IYjShFVlViqZVTyDQQbWOCmRm6q0OLUf6sED8QN9kDO4rPhAlmM_aem_hY3M1sobqK2M73M06TJNOw

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Russia Curbs Agricultural Imports From Armenia

Հուլիս 18, 2024

• Gayane Saribekian

 

Armenia -- A commercial greenhouse belonging to the Spayka company, April 19, 2017

 

Citing food safety concerns, Russia has reportedly banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Armenia amid heightened tensions between the two estranged allies.

Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor agricultural watchdog notified the Armenian government’s Food Safety Inspectorate about the measure in a letter sent on July 4 and publicized by at least two Armenian media outlets late on Wednesday. It said that from April through the beginning of June Russian authorities detected eight more instances of imported Armenian tomatoes and apples exceeding the maximum residue levels of pesticides allowed in Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states.

The letter signed by Rosselkhoznadzor’s deputy chief, Anton Karmazin, said that the Armenian side was already informed about those violations on June 5 and did not pledge to investigate them in response. Armenia must therefore “suspend” from July 15 agricultural exports pending “meaningful measures” that would address the Russian concerns, wrote Karmazin.

He said he is attaching to the letter a 18-page list of Armenian exporters covered by the ban. The list has not yet been leaked to the Armenian media or made public otherwise.

As of Thursday evening, the Food Safety Inspectorate did not react to the Russian ban that could severely affect tens of thousands of Armenian farmers and greenhouse owners heavily dependent on the Russian market. The government declined to answer relevant questions from RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

The presumably temporary ban was widely construed by local commentators as Russian retaliation against the Armenian government’s continuing drift to the West that has prompted sterns warnings from Moscow in recent months.

 

Armenia - A fruit orchard in Aragatsotn province, 3Sep2014.

Russia already blocked the import of many Armenian food products for more than a week last November, with Rosselkhoznadzor alleging a sharp increase in the presence of “harmful quarantined organisms” in them. Russian-Armenian relations have deteriorated further since then, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian promising Armenia’s eventual exit from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted in March that Armenia could not count on continued free trade with Russia if Pashinian’s government does pull it out of the CSTO. One of his deputies, Mikhail Galuzin, stepped up this warning last month.

Government data shows that Armenian exports of fruits and vegetables totaled $182.5 million in 2023 and about $70 million in January-May 2024. More than 90 percent of them went to Russia, according to Suren Parsian, a Yerevan-based economist.

“If these restrictions are enforced, they will worsen the plight of our farmers,” Parsian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “They will have to try to sell their products in the domestic market and at lower prices.”

Babken Pipoyan, who leads an Armenian consumers rights group, criticized the Armenian government for not taking action after Rosselkhoznadzor’s previous warning sent in June.

“There is [a mechanism for] assessing food safety risks,” he said. “When the government does not make this whole system function, we get what we get.”

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33041769.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1CuqS0zFZRdu3M_eweeE9uC2iuyPqcdStFQ8ShQA6es94_mn-inbMsdng_aem_XrjZjec797Tix--z8yr-HQ

[Yervant1]

---

Express, UK

July 19 2024

 

Vladimir Putin outraged as tensions boil over with key 'mini NATO' ally

Relations between Russia and Armenia are due to deteriorate as the US Army will station an adviser within Armenia's Defense Ministry.

 

By LUCY SARRET

The US Army will station an adviser within Armenia's Defense Ministry, marking a significant shift as relations between Armenia and Russia deteriorate, a US diplomat has confirmed.

"It's a welcome development," stated Uzra Zeya, the Biden administration's undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, in an interview with Armenian news outlet Hetq.

"We welcome deepening defense and civilian security cooperation between the US and Armenia. This is part of the spirit embodied in the historic upgrade in U.S.-Armenia relations to a strategic partnership."

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security alliance led by Russia and often referred to as a "mini-NATO". The CSTO also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

However, tensions have been rising within the alliance. Last month, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his desire to withdraw from the CSTO, accusing the alliance of failing to fulfill its "contractual obligations".

In September 2023, Azerbaijan reclaimed the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, causing many ethnic Armenians to flee. Despite decades of Armenian-backed governance, the area is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

"Armenia's CSTO membership is something only the Armenian government can decide," Zeya remarked, adding that Washington sees "nothing to indicate that Russia's military presence contributes to a more peaceful and stable South Caucasus region."

While Russia maintains military bases in Armenia, Pashinyan indicated in an October 2023 interview with the Wall Street Journal that he saw no benefit to Russia's military presence following Azerbaijan's actions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In May, Russia agreed to reduce its troop presence in Armenia. This past April, US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien noted that security and defense discussions between the US and Armenia had "significantly" expanded, with the US planning to introduce an adviser to assist the Armenian Defense Ministry

Earlier this week, joint US-Armenia military drills commenced in Yerevan, highlighting the growing cooperation between the two nations.

"As I look out on this parade ground and the large number of US and Armenian soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder in formation, it is very clear just how much our bilateral cooperation has grown," Kvien said during the opening ceremony for the Eagle Partner 24 exercises.

The drills, which are spread across Armenia, will continue until July 24, according to the US military.

In September 2023, Moscow condemned the joint exercises between Armenia and the US Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the drills as "regrettable," adding: "We see little good from an aggressive NATO country trying to infiltrate into South Caucasus. I don't think this is good for anyone, including Armenia itself."

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1925294/vladimir-puin-mini-nato-ally-armenia-russia-latest

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

We hope that the disagreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be resolved soon- Zakharova

Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենქართულიРусский简体中文

 

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that official Moscow considers the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an indispensable factor for ensuring stability and socio-economic development in the region.

 As an Armenpress correspondent in Moscow reports, during her weekly press conference, Zakharova also noted that Russia hopes that the disagreements between the parties will be resolved in the near future, and that the process will advance to a high-level trilateral agreement.

The fate and future of the South Caucasus should be decided exclusively by the countries and partners of the region. External factors will not bring peace to our home,” said a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

 Zakharova also recalled that Moscow has more than once accepted the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations aimed at concluding a peace treaty, and is ready to continue this process in the future, guaranteeing the creation of the most effective conditions for the work of both delegations.

At the same time, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry also welcomed the efforts of Kazakhstan in this direction, in particular, the meeting of the heads of the foreign ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place on May 10-11 of this year in Almaty, describing it effective.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1196328?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2n92urBCqSsj0N-w8jAudaGgAGaqocr7UvV0J6UMOuNpku4_Zfs4eo4y0_aem_J1xdy1sRK6-KhobYnmSDjw

[Yervant1]

FAKTI

July 25 2024

 

Moscow to Yerevan: Don't do like Ukraine! **** Russia warns Armenia not to ally with West ****

Russia warns Armenia not to ally with West

 

Russia has warned Armenia not to ally with the West, expressing fears that Yerevan could go down a path similar to Ukraine's after the overthrow of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that while Armenia is free to choose its political direction, Moscow wants to avoid a repeat of the geopolitical shift seen in Ukraine.

In response to Yanukovych's ouster in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and supported the occupation of parts of the Donbass by pro-Moscow forces. More than two years ago, Russia began its full-scale war against Ukraine.

 

 

Russia has long been perceived as the protector of Armenia. Recently, however, relations have cooled as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan steers his country toward the West.

As a result, Russia remained indifferent to the seizure by Azerbaijani troops of the disputed conflict region of Nagorno-Karabakh, DPA noted.

However, Peskov emphasized that Russia still considers Armenia an ally and wants to continue cooperation with the country.

https://fakti.bg/en/world/899390-moscow-to-yerevan-don-t-do-like-ukraine-russia-warns-armenia-not-to-ally-with-west-pstrongrussia-has-wa

[Yervant1]

Azatutyun.am

 

Russian Curbs On Agricultural Imports From Armenia Still In Place

Հուլիս 31, 2024

• Gayane Saribekian

 

Armenia - Apricots purchased by a fruit-exporting companty from farmers in the Ararat Valley, 21Jun2013.

 

Russia maintains a ban on fresh fruits and vegetables imported by 16 Armenian entities following its negotiations with relevant Armenian authorities, a senior official in Yerevan said on Wednesday.

The Rosselkhoznadzor agricultural watchdog essentially notified Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body (FSIB) about the ban in a letter publicized by Armenian media on July 17. It alleged eight more detected instances of imported Armenian tomatoes and apples exceeding the maximum residue levels of pesticides allowed in Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states.

The FSIB scrambled to address the Russian concerns, pledging to step up laboratory of agricultural products and to investigate the 16 Armenian firms and individual entrepreneurs blacklisted by Moscow.

Russia has long been the principal export market for Armenian fruits, vegetables and prepared foodstuffs. The export restrictions imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor come amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Yerevan. In recent months, Russian officials have repeatedly warned the Armenian government about economic and security consequences of its continuing to drift to the West.

A senior FSIB official, Anush Harutiunian, confirmed that the Armenian food safety inspectorate has discussed the matter with Rosselkhoznadzor.

“The ban has not been lifted because we need to keep them posted on our ongoing inspections of those companies,” Harutiunian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“It’s a long process that cannot be concluded swiftly,” she said, admitting that the ban is unlikely to be lifted soon.

Russia -- A worker uses a bulldozer to crush crates of peaches smuggled from the EU outside the city of Novozybkov, August 7, 2015.

In a July 26 statement, Rosselkhoznadzor reported some details of “online negotiations” held by its deputy chief Yulia Shvabauskene and her Armenian opposite number, Sona Tsarukian. It said Shvabauskene “stressed the need for the Armenian side to take comprehensive measures and ensure close control over certified products.”

The statement also said the two sides agreed that Russian officials will visit Armenia in late August to “conduct a joint inspection of production, processing, storage and shipment sites for products intended for export to Russia.”

Neither side has publicized the list of the Armenian entities affected by the Russian ban. Harutiunian said only that three of them are companies that not only export but also grow various crops.

“There is a serious problem with inspecting the others,” added the official. “We need to understand from which farms they collected [agricultural produce.] As you can imagine, it’s a process that will take a while.”

The economic cost of the Russian curbs is still not clear. Government data shows that Armenian exports of fruits and vegetables totaled $182.5 million in 2023 and about $70 million in January-May 2024. More than 90 percent of them reportedly went to Russia.

According to the Rosselkhoznadzor statement, Russia has imported almost 74,000 tons of such products since the beginning of this year. Those include nearly 29,000 tons of apricots, 12,400 tons of apples and 8,700 tons of tomatoes.

 

 

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33058050.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEXn4RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTlqZC3l45wTTM0ydBALmoBf9N0nTt-2UviElAX3YCBPnz0Rs5IqbjeNKg_aem_WdMiMBtpMOW6uDhGPpnNww