We see how the Western media literally sat on the representatives of Yerevan, extracting from them answers to provocative questions. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, said this at Thursday’s press briefing, answering the question about the latest statements by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan regarding the CSTO.
"And we see that these questions are aimed at causing maximum damage to the multifaceted relations between Moscow and Yerevan. And unfortunately, such incitement works in the current Armenian realities," Zakharova added.
"We [Russia] are also often asked, and they often ask provocative questions. But we prefer to answer that we solve the existing problems in our relations, particularly with Armenia, through bilateral channels. We do not give grounds for that bacillus of provocations to grow. In the interview you are talking about, an attempt is made to belittle the importance of Armenia's relations with Russia, to belittle the role of our military and border guards in ensuring the security of the republic [of Armenia] and its citizens, they express disappointment with the effectiveness of the CSTO, Russian peacekeepers [in Nagorno-Karabakh], etc. Let's remember the facts; they exist.
The rapid growth of Armenia's economy in recent years, 12.6 percent in 2022, and the improvement of [Armenian] citizens' well-being are largely due to trade and economic cooperation with Russia, the implementation of large joint projects, and the country's membership in the EAEU. What is more, Armenia is the main beneficiary of participation in the Union. There are numbers again. In 2022, the volume of Armenia's exports to member countries increased by 1.6 billion [US] dollars, which is almost three times higher than the figure of 2021. Russia is the main investor in Armenia's economy, representing almost half of foreign ‘injections.’ More than 4,500 companies with Russian capital operate in the republic [of Armenia], which are among the [country’s] largest taxpayers and employers. Since the [19]90s, the Russian military presence and the presence of our border guards have been required, taking into account the difficult situation created in the South Caucasus and the unsettled relations with Yerevan's neighbors. The 102nd Russian [military] base [in Armenia] regularly conducts training events to improve combat readiness and mutual understanding with Armenian partners. Our border guards oppose attempts to illegally cross the Armenian-Turkish border, stop smuggling on the Armenian-Iranian border, and since December 2020, they are overseeing also the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. All the undertaken measures are carried out jointly with the Armenian side, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic [of Armenia].
As for the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh, if it were not for them, the situation in the region could have developed in a much more dramatic scenario for Yerevan since the fall of 2020, especially after Armenia’s leadership announced the decision to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.
Now about Yerevan's dissatisfactions with CSTO. The effectiveness of this organization was convincingly demonstrated during the events that took place in Kazakhstan in January 2022. If the leadership of Armenia had agreed to deploy a monitoring mission of the organization in the territory of the republic [of Armenia], many problems could also have been avoided. However, instead, Armenia’s leadership decided to invite the EU [monitoring] mission, which [actually] collects intelligence against Russia and Iran under the guise of ‘monitoring’ and is accountable only to Brussels. Its effectiveness can be judged by the absence of specific positive results. The fallacy of Yerevan's reliance on Western mediation in the matter of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and the attempt to delay the implementation of a number of tripartite agreements at the highest level, which were reached from 2020 to 2022, is becoming more and more obvious," said Maria Zakharova.
