The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed strong protest against the recent actions taken by the Armenian government, which it considers to be unfriendly towards its treaty ally. The ministry summoned Armenia’s ambassador in Moscow, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, to deliver a protest note regarding these actions.
One of the actions that caused concern in Moscow was Armenia’s launch of the process of ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This move is seen as a potential threat to Russia, as the ICC recently charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with alleged “forcible deportation” of Ukrainian children, a charge that Moscow dismissed as absurd. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Russia.
In addition, the ministry expressed its dissatisfaction with the trip of the Armenian Prime Minister’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, to Kiev to deliver humanitarian aid. The ministry described this visit as an act that supports the “Nazi regime,” which further strained the relations between Armenia and Russia.
Furthermore, Russia raised concerns about joint military exercises held by Armenia on its territory, which involved the participation of the United States. This move by Armenia was seen as a betrayal by Russia, as it comes after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan insinuated that Russia had failed to defend Yerevan from Baku during the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and made overtures to NATO instead. It is worth noting that Russia had played a crucial role in brokering a ceasefire between the two countries in 2020, and had sent peacekeepers to the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also expressed its objection to the offensive statements made by Armenian parliament speaker Alan Simonyan against the ministry and its spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Moscow considers these statements to be disrespectful and detrimental to the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Despite these recent tensions, the Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its belief in the alliance between Russia and Armenia, stating that all agreements on the development and strengthening of partnerships will be fully implemented for the benefit of the two countries’ peoples. This includes the upcoming joint military exercises within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the deployment of a CSTO observation mission to facilitate a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenia, as a member of the CSTO, along with Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, has enjoyed the support of Moscow. However, recent actions by the Armenian government have raised concerns in Russia about the country’s commitment to its alliance with Moscow. These concerns have led to the summoning of the Armenian ambassador and the delivery of a protest note. It remains to be seen how these tensions will affect the relationship between Russia and Armenia in the long run.
Source link
