Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a press conference on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Sep. 23

Expresses Hope for Continuing Alliance with Armenia

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday accused NATO member-states of using Armenia to gain a foothold in the South Caucasus to advance their interests. He also expressed hope that Russia will continue its alliance with Armenia, posting to recent statements made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Lavrov contended that NATO member-states are fomenting anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia “artificially and decisively.”

“We know about a number of NGOs that have been created in Armenia in recent years — and they were many before that as well. These organizations are not created to promote friendly relations between Armenia and the Russian Federation. Just the opposite,” Lavrov said during a press conference on the margins of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

He added that the non-government organizations are “creating anti-Russian sentiments and advancing, through Armenia, the interests of the United States and the European Union and NATO countries, first of all, in this region. We see those attempts and they yielding some results,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov emphasized, however, that Russia is convinced that the overwhelming majority of the Armenian people are interested in the development of “traditional, fraternal ties with Russia.”

To that end, the top Russian diplomat said that Moscow hopes that allied relations with Armenia will continue.

“I would like to draw your attention to the fact that a day or two ago Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview, during which he clearly said that Armenia is not changing its orientations. Let’s hope that this position will prevail, despite the attempts [by the West] to take Yerevan in another direction,” Lavrov said.

However, a day after interview, Pashinyan revealed that he would not attend the Bishkek summit. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry also said that Ararat Mirzoyan, the foreign minister, would not attend. Armenia is represented by a deputy foreign minister.

Lavrov had expressed hope that he would host Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhum Bayramov, for talks regarding the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku.

In recent weeks, both Yerevan and Moscow have stepped up their criticism of one another, with Pashinyan insisting that the Russian peacekeeping forces did not fulfill their mandate and allowed Azerbaijan’s large-scale attack on Artsakh that resulted in the displacement of more than 100,000 Artsakh residents from their homes.

Moscow, on the other hand, has contended that Pashinyan’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity that cemented Baku’s sovereignty over Artsakh altered the course of events in the region and blamed the Armenian leader for the fall of Artsakh.