Armenia was once Russia’s protectorate in the Caucasus. Now Yerevan is distancing itself more and more from Moscow – and calls an alliance led by the Kremlin a threat.
The head of government of Armenia in the South Caucasus, Nikol Pashinyan, has renewed and intensified criticism of the Russian-led military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “We have frozen our membership in the CSTO not only because the CSTO does not fulfill its obligations to ensure Armenia’s security, but also because the CSTO creates threats to the security, continued existence and statehood of Armenia,” Pashinyan said, according to the Armenian news agency Armenpress.
In February, Armenia froze its membership in the alliance after its defeat against Azerbaijan in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and against the backdrop of increasing tensions with Russia. According to Pashinyan, the conflict with the CSTO has been simmering for two years. At the time, questions were raised about Armenia’s security, to which the alliance has not yet responded. The longer the silence continues, the further Armenia will distance itself from the military alliance. Pashinyan described the likelihood of a final departure as high.
Russia long protector of Armenia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia was one of the co-founders of the military alliance that was created under Moscow’s leadership in 1992. For a long time, Russia was considered Armenia’s protector in the Caucasus – including in the conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. After the more western-oriented Pashinyan came to power, relations cooled.
In the two armed conflicts that subsequently broke out between Yerevan and Baku over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Russia remained passive – despite a Russian protection force stationed in the area. Last autumn, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh – more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians – were forced to flee the region after heavy attacks by Azerbaijani troops. Russian troops were busy occupying Ukrainian territories at the time.
Suspicion of support from Belarus
In June, Armenia and CSTO member Belarus recalled each other’s ambassadors. The trigger for the resentment was that, according to Armenian interpretation, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko supported Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. During talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Lukashenko spoke of a meeting between the two before the war over Nagorno-Karabakh. “Back then, we talked about it philosophically over lunch and came to the conclusion that this war can be won.” It is now necessary to keep this victory, said Lukashenko. In this context, he spoke of a war of liberation.
Source: Stern
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