The Kremlin expects to receive information about relations between Moscow and Yerevan during conversations with Armenian colleagues. Russian President Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this when commenting on an interview with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Vedomosti writes on 26 October. Peskov in particular noted that the Kremlin is not inclined to perceive the WSJ as a primary source and it is necessary to understand exactly what Pashinyan said in the interview.
It should be noted that on October 25, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had an interview with the WSJ, in which he said that Armenia did not see the advantage of the presence of Russian military bases in Armenia, he also noted that Russia, as well as the OSCE, have not fulfilled their obligations to ensure security of Armenia.
“Of course, in a conversation with our Armenian friends, we expect to receive all the information on this matter. And, of course, it is not good for Russia and Armenia to communicate through newspapers, especially through The Wall Street Journal. Therefore, we continue the dialogue with our Armenian colleagues and will continue to do so. We have a very extensive agenda,” Peskov explained.
Answering the question whether the Kremlin sees prospects for resolving Armenia’s issues with Russia and the CSTO in the security sphere, Peskov emphasized that attempts are continuing to help Baku and Yerevan reach a peace treaty.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova also commented on Nikol Pashinyan’s interview, noting that the effectiveness of the CSTO “was convincingly demonstrated during the events in Kazakhstan in January 2022.”
“If the Armenian leadership agrees to place an Organization observation mission on the territory of the republic, many problems could also be avoided. However, instead, the Armenian leadership chose to invite an EU mission, which, under the guise of monitoring, collects intelligence against Russia and Iran and generates reporting exclusively for Brussels. Its effectiveness can be judged by the lack of specific positive results,” Zakharova said.
At the same time, according to her, despite Armenia’s incorrect “bet” on the West, Moscow is ready to “receive the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the Russian platform with the prospect of entering a full-fledged trilateral summit.”
“We are also often asked and asked provocative questions. But we prefer to answer that we resolve existing disagreements in our relations, in particular with Armenia, through bilateral channels. We don’t give ground for this bacillus of provocation to grow,” Zakharova said.
She also recalled the role of Russia in the economy of Armenia, as well as the large economic projects that are being implemented within the EAEU.
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