ArmInfo.The countries of Europe and the United States do not intend to help the Armenian side in resolving the conflict (around Nagorno-Karabakh - ed. note), First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin told the "Moscow Speaks" radio station.
"In this situation, statements that Armenia will not do something about the CSTO do not strengthen Armenia in any way. They only indicate that Pashinyan's government is takes efforts to changie its ally, trying to attract the West to the region, in the hope that that the West, the United States, France will help to deal with Turkey and Azerbaijan, but they have never done this, and they will not do it, I am sure, because the most important thing for them, especially for the United States, is to remove Russia from this region. They are interested in the Armenian population and Nagorno-Karabakh, to a very small extent," the Russian MP noted.
At the same time, Zatulin believes that the opinion of Western countries can be influenced by the Armenian Diaspora, who are fighting for the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, according to him, their capacity is limited. "Because of this, everything that is happening now is the maneuvers of the Pashinyan government, which has been frankly taking efforts for the last six months to change its allies: the West Instead of Russia. the fact that these statements were made almost simultaneously proves that the Armenian government is trying to play. On the one hand, they declare their desire to accept the Russian version [of the settlement of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh - MS note], without mentioning which one. On the other hand, they simultaneously talk about their unwillingness to take an active part in the CSTO, knowing full well that the CSTO - this is a union established by Russia," he said. Earlier, Zatulin, in an interview with "Moscow Speaks", forecasted difficult negotiations on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. The MP noted that the discussion would be about the status of the disputed territory. It should be noted that today, during a press conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan does not consider it expedient to conduct CSTO exercises in the republic in 2023 under "these conditions." According to the prime minister, there is some misunderstanding on this issue, since the Armenian defense minister has already informed the CSTO Joint Headquarters that the Armenian side does not consider it expedient to conduct exercises this year in Armenia. "These exercises, at least this year, will not take place," Pashinyan said. Moreover, the Prime Minister also assured that Azerbaijan and the West consider Russia in Armenia as a threat, against the background of the processes around Ukraine. We add that the Kremlin has already reacted to Pashinyan's statement regarding the CSTO, noting that Moscow will clarify this issue.