Armenia is in need of greater pressure from Russia. This is what President of Armenia Amen Sarkissian said in an interview with Financial Times, touching upon the comment that Russia has a military base in Armenia that is deployed close to the border with Turkey, as well as an agreement on reciprocal defense that doesn’t include Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Financial Times stated the following: “This week, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said Russia will stay true to the provisions of that agreement, if Armenia is attacked, and this comes 11 days after the outbreak of the clashes. Russia also has close ties with Azerbaijan and major trade and military relations with Turkey. Moscow is aspiring to stay neutral in this conflict, leaving Armenia without a strong foreign supporter.”

In response, Sarkissian said the following: “Armenia is in need of greater pressure from Russia. I hope Russia and the United States exert more pressure.”

Armen Sarkissian also touched upon Turkey’s accession to NATO and stated the following: “Being a member of NATO means you need to be able to restrain yourself. You haven’t been given the green light to interfere in the conflict of a third party. What is a NATO member state doing in Azerbaijan by taking advantage and fighting against Nagorno-Karabakh? Explain it to me! This completely redefines the role of NATO.”