Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Warns Armenia Against Jeopardizing Its Sovereignty by Aligning with NATO
Moscow’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, has accused Armenia of trading its ‘time-tested alliance’ with Russia for ‘vague promises from the West’.
Armenia is risking its national sovereignty by aligning itself with the Western NATO alliance, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“I hope Yerevan [Armenia’s capital] knows that its deepening cooperation with the [NATO] alliance could result in its losing its sovereignty in terms of defense and security,” Mr. Lavrov told Russia’s TASS news agency on Dec. 28.
Despite being an ally of Russia in name, Armenia has been conducting military drills with NATO and is reforming its military to bring it in line with NATO standards, Mr. Lavrov asserted.
In September, it recalled its permanent representative to the security bloc and declined to take part in scheduled CSTO military drills in Belarus.
Armenia risks becoming entangled in NATO’s strategy of ‘divide-and-conquer,’ according to Mr. Lavrov.
Foreign Policy Reboot
In previous statements, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stressed that his country has no plans to withdraw from the CSTO.
Azerbaijan’s September offensive has led to a decision that Armenia needs to diversify its relationships in the security sphere, according to Mr. Pashinyan.
Armenia has complained that its membership in the CSTO had failed to prevent the recent offensive by Azerbaijan in the flashpoint Nagorno-Karabakh region, and is looking to other sources for arms and support. In late October, NATO member France announced the sale of advanced radar systems and anti-aircraft missiles to Armenia.
“We stand by our defense relationship [with Armenia], even though we’re not part of the same military and political alliances,” French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said at a joint press briefing with his Armenian counterpart.
Mr. Lavrov said that Armenia is attempting to reformat its foreign policy, trading in its alliance with Moscow for promises from the West. Russia sees the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia as founded on the national interests and common task of the countries to ensure stability in the South Caucasus.
