Editorial|Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia will leave the Russian-led military alliance. Until recently, Armenia was Russia’s most loyal ally.
EUntil some time ago, Armenia, located in the Far Caucasus, was known for its close relations with Russia, which the Armenians considered the guarantor of their security.
Those days are over. In the latest sign of this, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia will leave the Russian-led Collective Security Organization military alliance. The organization known as CSTO in English and ODKB in Russian includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The choice of date says even more about the relations between the countries. Armenia is currently negotiating a border and peace deal with arch-nemesis Azerbaijan, which has led to mass protests and accusations of treason by Pashinyan’s opponents over the territorial ceding. The announcement of breaking away from the military alliance was also a game move by Pašinjani, which he wants to take away from the opposition. So unpopular Russia today is in Armenia.
The background is the so-called second Nagorno-Karabakh war, i.e. Azerbaijan’s attacks in 2020 and 2023, with which Azerbaijan took over the entire Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh and its neighboring regions. According to international law, Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, but for Armenians it is an old Armenian territory. Therefore, it was a shock to the Armenians that Russia did not help Armenia and that the Russian peacekeepers did not protect the civilian population.
Pashinjan has distanced himself from Russia, even though the countries’ economic relations are close. He has strengthened Armenia’s relations with the West, previously frozen Armenia’s membership in the military alliance and supported Ukraine. In May, Armenia temporarily blocked Russian television broadcasts in its territory.
Pashinjan’s announcement is symbolic. It underlines how quickly Russian leader Vladimir Putin has managed to expel an exceptionally close ally.
The editorials are HS’s positions on a current topic. The articles are prepared by HS’s editorial department, and they reflect the magazine principle line.
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