Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov Accuses Armenia of Swapping Russian Alliance for Uncertain Western Promises

Yerevan, swayed by the West, is trying to replace the union with Moscow with vague promises, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview with TASS on the results of 2023.

"Unfortunately, official Yerevan, having succumbed to the West’s persuasions, is attempting to reformat its foreign policy course. It is trading in the time-tested alliance with Moscow not even for the West’s concrete help but merely for vague promises," the top Russian diplomat said.

"In order to justify the strategic turnaround, they are attempting to blame Russia for all the republic’s problems, including the loss of Karabakh. We have repeatedly voiced Russia’s concerns publicly - it makes no sense right now to list again the unfriendly steps of Armenian authorities," Lavrov added.

He noted that Armenia has been and remains Russia’s strategic partner in the South Caucasus.

Lavrov: Discussions about expediency of Russian military base in Armenia are harmful

We consider discussions on the expediency of deploying the Russian 102nd Military Base on the territory of Armenia to be harmful. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated this in an interview with TASS.

"The agreement on its deployment there was signed on March 16, 1995, based, first of all, on national interests and the shared goal of our countries to strengthen stability in the South Caucasus," added the Russian FM.

Also, Lavrov noted that the Russian military is "a key element in ensuring peace in this region."

Lavrov: Difficulties in Russia-Armenia relations are temporary

The difficulties in relations between Russia and Armenia are temporary and will be resolved if political will is displayed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview for TASS.

"We are convinced that all difficulties [in relations between Russia and Armenia] are temporary and will be overcome if political will is present," he said.

According to the minister, "sustainable and gradual development of Russian-Armenian ties meets core interests of the people of the two states, which share common values and a single cultural code."

"The trade and economic ties and the industry dialogue between Moscow and Yerevan develop at an impressive rate. This is a foundation for relations between the two countries, and the most important support for development of Armenian economy and the welfare of Armenian people," Lavrov said.

He underscored that the rapid growth of Armenia’s GDP in the recent years "is largely caused by the cooperation with Russia and by Yerevan’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union [EAEU]."

"Next year, Armenia will chair the EAEU. We wish our colleagues success," the Russian foreign minister said.

Armenia-NATO dialogue deepening leads to loss of sovereignty in defense sector

The Russian Federation hopes that Armenia is aware of the danger of losing state sovereignty in terms of national defense and security due to the deepening of the dialogue with NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview with TASS on the results of 2023.

The Russian FM emphasized that this year Armenia participated in dozens of events with the alliance. According to him, Armenia continues to modernize its armed forces in accordance with NATO standards, and its military personnel conduct training in several countries of the bloc.

"We are concerned about this. We have repeatedly brought to the attention of our Armenian counterparts that NATO's actual goal is to strengthen its position in the region and create conditions for manipulation with the scheme of 'divide and rule,’" Lavrov stressed.

The West not trying to bring peace to Armenia

Western countries are not trying to bring peace and stability to Armenia and the South Caucasus as a whole; their task is to squeeze out Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told TASS in an exclusive interview.

"Now Armenia is facing a number of challenges. And it will not be possible to solve them with the help of Western players. The US and the EU, unlike Russia, are not trying to bring peace and stability to the country and the South Caucasus as a whole," the top Russian diplomat pointed out.

"Their task is quite different: to squeeze out Moscow and other regional players, to create a new hotbed of tension, following the example of the Balkans, the Middle East, and Ukraine," Lavrov added.

At the same time, the Russian FM emphasized that "the way out of the difficult situation is obvious: to implement the trilateral agreements of Yerevan, Baku, and Moscow at the highest level."