Russia accused Armenia of blackmail and reneging on its alliance
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the Armenian leadership of attempting to “raise the stakes” in its relations with Moscow and resorting to blackmail. The statement was made during a briefing by Alexei Fadeev, deputy director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to him, Moscow has taken note of recent statements by official Yerevan in which, as the Russian side claims, responsibility for problems in relations with Russia and the European Union is being shifted onto others.
Fadeev acknowledged that any state has the right to pursue a multi-vector policy, but stated that Armenia is allegedly using the concept of “diversification” to reject Eurasian integration and move closer to the EU, which Moscow considers hostile to Russia.
The Russian diplomat also claimed that the potential socioeconomic consequences of a reorientation toward the European Union are allegedly being concealed from the citizens of Armenia. According to him, the export difficulties the country is facing are not the result of restrictions imposed by Moscow, but are linked to a change in foreign policy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that declarations of partnership with Western countries are not legally binding and cannot replace existing Russian-Armenian agreements. In addition, Fadeev claims that Brussels, Paris, and London are not prepared to make large-scale investments in the Armenian economy.
Separately, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Yerevan of failing to engage in constructive dialogue with Moscow.
“Instead of constructive dialogue, we are seeing attempts by Yerevan to raise the stakes or simply resort to blackmail,” he said.
According to Fadeev, Moscow considers such steps to include the persecution of pro-Russian figures, potential arbitration claims against Russian companies operating in Armenia, as well as demands for compensation regarding specific assets.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that the Armenian government’s demonstrative rapprochement with Ukraine raises doubts in Moscow about Yerevan’s readiness for an alliance with Russia.
The Russian ministry emphasized that it expects Armenia to adopt a “realistic and balanced approach” to bilateral relations.
Panorama.am reported this on August 6.
As a reminder, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the country’s government considers the South Caucasus Railway, which runs through its territory, to be its property. He stressed that the country must be able to use the infrastructure at its own discretion and suggested that Russia be required to pay up to $2 billion per year.
On August 2, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a decree appointing Nikol Pashinyan as the country’s prime minister.
