Armenia announced Tuesday it would refuse to host military maneuvers by a Russian-led alliance in 2023 amid dissatisfaction with Moscow over blocking a vital axis supplying the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The announcement comes as Armenia has multiplied signs of anger towards its Russian ally, whom it accuses of, in the face of Azerbaijan’s “provocations” around Karabakh, where Moscow, which is currently embroiled in its offensive in Ukraine, has deployed peacekeeping not having acted violence.
“Armenia does not consider it expedient to hold Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) exercises this year […] These exercises will not take place,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said at a news conference.
According to Mr. Pashinian, Yerevan has already informed the leadership of this Moscow-led military alliance that brings together several former Soviet republics.
He particularly criticized the CSTO for “refusing to condemn the actions of Azerbaijan” and Russia for not playing its role as “guarantor of security” for Armenia.
“Armenia expected concrete measures from Russian partners and other partners in the field of security. But in Yerevan it was said that the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were not demarcated,” Mr. Pashinian reprimanded again.
Yerevan in particular accuses the Russian peacekeepers present in Nagorno-Karabakh of inaction, while for several weeks Azerbaijanis have been blocking the Lachin Corridor, a key axis for supplies to this disputed enclave between the two countries.
“The Russian peacekeeping contingent must ensure the normal functioning of the Lachin corridor,” Pashinyan stressed on Tuesday.
“If suddenly it turns out that Russia cannot fulfill its obligations […]it has to go to the UN,” he added.
Yerevan also criticizes Moscow for failing to play its mediating role in the violent clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in September, when Yerevan asked for help from the CSTO, of which it is a part.
Asked about the criticism of Mr. Pashinian, the Kremlin played appeasement, assuring that “Armenia is a very close ally” with whom Russia “will continue dialogue, including on sensitive issues.”