Zakharova: fallacy of Yerevan`s reliance on Western mediation in  matter of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization is becoming increasingly  obvious

ArmInfo.The fallacy of Yerevan's reliance on Western mediation in the matter of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization is becoming increasingly obvious. This was stated on October 26 during a weekly briefing by official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, regarding the statements of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"We see how media representatives literally attacked representatives  of official Yerevan, extracting from them answers to provocative  questions. And we see that these questions are aimed at damaging the  Armenian-Russian multifaceted ties. And unfortunately, in the current  Armenian realities, such incitements work "," she said, adding that  the Russian side is also often asked provocative questions, but  Moscow prefers to answer that all issues between the two countries  are resolved through bilateral channels.

According to her, Moscow does not provide the ground for "this very  bacillus of provocations to grow." Regarding the interview itself,  Zakharova pointed out that expressing disappointment with the  effectiveness of the CSTO and Russian peacekeepers in  Nagorno-Karabakh,  Armenia is trying to downplay the importance of  relations with Russia, to belittle the role of the Russian servicemen  and border guards in ensuring the security of the Republic and its  citizens.

In this regard, the Russian diplomat proposed moving to real facts.  "The rapid growth of the Armenian economy in recent years by 12.6%  per year, the increase in the well-being of citizens is largely due  to the state of economic interaction with the Russian Federation, the  implementation of large joint projects and the country's membership  in the EAEU. Moreover, Armenia is the main beneficiary of this union,  as evidenced by the figures. In 2022, the volume of Armenian exports  increased by $1.6 billion - this is 3-fold higher than the figures  for 2021. Russia is the main investor in the Armenian economy. It  represents almost half of all foreign investments. There are over  4,500 companies with Russian capital in the republic, which are among  largest taxpayers and employers," she noted.

At the same time, Zakharova emphasized that since the 1990s, the  Russian presence and the deployement of Russian border guards on the  borders was due to the difficult situation in the South Caucasus, and  the unsettled relations of Yerevan with its neighbors.

She recalled that the 102nd base regularly conducts training to  improve combat readiness and coherence with Armenian partners. "Our  border guards are countering attempts to illegally cross the  Armenian- Turkish border, stopping smuggling on the Armenian-Iranian  border and, since December 2020, also monitoring the  Armenian-Azerbaijani borders. All measures taken are carried out  jointly with the Armenian side, respecting the sovereignty and  territorial integrity of the country,"  the diplomat stated.   Referring to the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, she  assured that if not for them, the situation in the region after 2020  could have developed according to a more dramatic scenario for  Yerevan.  "Especially after the decision of the Armenian leadership  to publicly recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan," she added.

Regarding Yerevan's claims to the CSTO, Zakharova noted that its  effectiveness was demonstrated in Kazakhstan in January 2022. "If the  Armenian leadership had agreed to host a CSTO mission on its  territory, many problems could also have been avoided. Instead, the  Armenian leadership chose to invite the 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.

It is becoming more and more obvious that Yerevan is relying on  Western mediation in the matter of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization  and attempts to stall the implementation of a set of trilateral  agreements at the highest level reached between 2020 and 2022. If  there is political will, we are still ready to host the foreign  ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Russian platform with the  prospects of entering a full-fledged summit," Zakharova concluded.

On October 25, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an  interview with The Wall Street Journal that he "does not see any  advantages in the continued presence of Russian military bases in  Armenia." Pashinyan also said that Yerevan is looking for new  partners, since Russia was unable to fulfill its allied obligations.  The high ranking politician pointed to recent developments in  Nagorno-Karabakh, which, as he noted, led Armenia to the decision on  the need to reconsider relations with other countries in the field of  security. Pashinyan also noted that Yerevan does not raise the issue  of the withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenia and is  trying "to understand the reason for this behavior of the Russian  Federation and the CSTO, within the framework of working meetings and  other formats." The Prime Minister of Armenia added that the republic  remains in the CSTO "because now the parties are at the stage of  discussing issues of understanding positions" and do not want to  "make a mistake in understanding each other."