Tensions came to a head in September when Azerbaijan launched an offensive to retake the Yerevan-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking an exodus of its 100,000 Armenians. Moscow had stationed a peacekeeping force in the region that abandoned its positions ahead of the assault.
Days before that, Pashinyan told POLITICO that Moscow’s mission had failed and “as a result of the events in Ukraine, the capabilities of Russia have changed,” making it less willing or able to defend its partners. Armenia, he added, is now working with the EU and the U.S. to carry out a slew of democratic reforms and bolster its democracy.
The prime minister’s latest comments come as French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu visits Armenia on Friday to announce a package of new arms deals expected to include radar equipment and night vision goggles.
But despite also hosting an EU border mission, Armenia has thousands of Russian troops stationed in the country and its borders are controlled by Moscow’s security forces. While Pashinyan has previously hinted that those arrangements with Russia could be ended, he warned “that is an entirely different legal-contractual framework” to Armenia’s membership of the CSTO.
