Armenian Foreign Minister in Moscow

The Armenian Foreign Minister has met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow the day after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s talks with European Council President Charles Michel. In Brussels, the bilateral agenda of the EU-Armenia was discussed, and negotiations were held with the President of Azerbaijan. In Armenia, the possible topics of the Armenian-Russian negotiations, scheduled immediately after the European ones, were actively discussed. Moreover, a visit to Russia by the Prime Minister of Armenia is also planned in the coming days, during which Pashinyan–Putin negotiations are expected.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is currently in Moscow on a working visit at the invitation of Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov. It is officially announced that the visit is timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry assessed this meeting as an opportunity to “look at the whole range of areas” of cooperation and alliance with Armenia. Lavrov stated that Russia is interested in the further development of Russian-Armenian relations and the complicated geopolitical situation requires more often to compare watches and compare estimates.

“We will continue, from the position of a key ally of Armenia, to help you strengthen your defense capability, to ensure the protection of the border, and, of course, as the main trade and economic partner, as the main foreign investor, we will continue to look for new projects that will ensure the sustainability of our trade, create new production facilities, jobs.

And now another package of proposals is being prepared, which are aimed at significantly supplementing Russian investments in the economy of the Republic of Armenia”, Lavrov said.

The Armenian Foreign Minister stated that Armenia is also focused on the further development of allied relations in all areas:

“Russia played a key role in the ceasefire and hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone in the fall of 2020. We are confident that the effective activity of the Russian peacekeeping forces in NK, ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh, will serve the interests of strengthening the ceasefire in NK and preventing provocations, restoring normal life, ensuring stability and security in our region”.

Sergey Lavrov, speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and security in the region, announced that there are three groups of agreements reached by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in November 2020 and January and November 2021. And Russia intends to ensure their implementation, “including the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh, in strict accordance with its mandate.”

Thus, he touched upon the latest escalation on the line of contact in NK, where the Azerbaijani Armed Forces took the territories under the responsibility of Russian peacekeepers. The situation has escalated since March 24, and so far the Armenian side has unsuccessfully demanded the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to their original positions. The Prime Minister of Armenia, in a conversation with Putin, spoke about the need to investigate the “actions or inactions” of the peacekeeping contingent stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh after the war.

Meanwhile, Lavrov, during a press conference, said that the circumstances of these events require clarification and the Russian military is looking into it:

“For us, these circumstances are not completely clear. I would like not to get ahead of myself and make final judgments. We are convinced that our Armenian friends fully trust Russian peacekeepers”.

He expressed hope that “calls to call the peacekeepers to account, to conduct an official investigation do not reflect the attitude of the Armenian people and the Armenian leadership to the huge role that the contingent plays in maintaining stability.”

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According to Lavrov, the further fate of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which was engaged in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict before the 2020 war, is also unclear. The reason for the ambiguity is the position of the other two co-chairs, the United States and France, who, together with Russia, acted as mediators of peace negotiations:

“Our French and American partners ( so-called partners in this group), in a Russophobic frenzy and in an effort to cancel everything related to the Russian Federation, said that they would not communicate with us in that format. This is their right. If they are ready to sacrifice their interests in the settlement in Karabakh and in the Transcaucasus as a whole, then this is their choice”.

Russia considers such an approach irresponsible, Lavrov stressed, but “it will not unsettle Moscow”. Russia will continue to contribute to the implementation of the agreements reached through its mediation by the parties to the conflict.

The Russian Foreign Minister also discussed the outcome of the Pashinyan-Aliyev talks in Brussels. He recalled that an agreement on the establishment of a commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which is considered one of the main achievements of European negotiations, was reached earlier through the mediation of Moscow. However, as Lavrov said, Russia is not mentioned at all in Charles Michel’s final statement:

“I would very much like our European colleagues to understand that this channel has already been created by the three leaders in 2020 and 2021[ the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia – JAMnews], and that they will not put up any obstacles, dams and something else in this vein.

We confirmed today: the decision of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan that the delimitation commission will be bilateral with the consultative participation of the Russian side remains in force. And the reason is not only that the Russian General Staff has maps, but also that living together on this territory allows us to hope that such issues in this format will be resolved a little more efficiently”.

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Political observer Hakob Badalyan, when asked by JAMnews about possible pressure from Russia on Armenia in connection with the failures at the frontline in Ukraine, said:

“It is very difficult to assess the success or failure of Russia in Ukraine and, based on this, assess what its position will be in the Caucasus and, in particular, in Armenia. The fact is that we do not know what Russia was trying to achieve in the direction of Ukraine, what it wants now, what it has achieved from what it wanted, what did not work out, what needs to be reviewed. We observe everything after the fact, and it is very difficult to evaluate successes and failures.

Undoubtedly, Russia considers the Caucasus a zone of its vital interests, and Armenia, from this point of view, is considered a territory and a country of special importance. Consequently, Russia will strive to ensure that Armenia plays in the field of their interests. It will be very dangerous for Armenia to play with the reverse logic, that is, against Russia, especially “behind Russia’s back”. I think Yerevan is well aware of these dangers and risks.

On the other hand, Armenia realizes the importance of not playing against the West, so to speak. Keeping the balance is the main issue on the agenda of Armenia.

At today’s meeting of foreign ministers there will be a similar discussion, and there will be an attempt to show Moscow that Armenia does not follow the logic of behind-the-scenes games. There will also be a discussion of common problems and interests regarding stability and security in NK and Armenia”.

When asked about the possible coercion of Armenia to join the Russia-Belarus union state, Hakob Badalyan replied that, in his opinion, at the moment Russia has no such intention. He does not see such a prospect in the foreseeable future:

“Of course, there may be a clarification of how Yerevan and Moscow will coordinate the work in the current situation. It is clear that control over the situation in the so-called spheres of its influence is important for Moscow.

In the current difficult situation, Moscow will strive to ensure that Armenia acts in the sphere of its interests. And the task of Armenia, on the one hand, is to work with Moscow, based on the realities and emerging circumstances, on the other hand, not to allow steps that will be considered as a violation of the balance and will cause a reaction from the West.”

Armenian Foreign Minister in Moscow