In recent months, relations between Russia and Armenia have been marked by tensions over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Russia has blamed Armenia for the collapse of peace talks with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the latest sign of friction between Moscow and Yerevan over the conflict.
For months, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet republics, have been trying to negotiate a peace agreement for the embattled region in the South Caucasus.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is primarily home to an ethnically Armenian population. The conflict between the two neighbors over the region began in the early 20th century and erupted into war twice, most recently in 2020.
Moscow on Thursday accused Armenia of abandoning peace talks and urged Yerevan to return to the negotiating table.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “It is difficult to assess Yerevan’s position when their official statements differ so greatly.”
She said Armenia’s decision to call off peace talks scheduled for December in Moscow “prevented us from discussing the peace deal.”
“If our Armenian partners are really interested in solving these problems … then instead of engaging in scholasticism, it is necessary to continue working together,” Zakharova said.
The village of Taghavard in Nagorno-Karabakh was partitioned between Azerbaijan and Armenia after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 [File: Artem MikryukovReuters]
Growing Tensions
For the past month, Azerbaijani civilians posing as environmental activists have been protesting along the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Yerevan has described the action as a blockade backed by the Azerbaijani government.
Baku says the group has legitimate concerns about alleged illicit Armenian mining projects and has denied the region is blocked.
The issue has created tensions in relations between allies Armenia and Russia. Yerevan has repeatedly criticized Russia’s peacekeepers, who have been deployed to the Lachin corridor since 2020 to ensure freedom of movement. Armenia has said it is not doing enough to ease the bottleneck. But Moscow has said it is doing everything possible.
On Tuesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “Russia’s military presence in Armenia not only guarantees its security, but also increases security threats to Armenia.”
On the same day, Armenia announced that it would not host military exercises by the Russian-led alliance of post-Soviet states, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CTSO).
Pashinyan said it was “unreasonable to hold CTSO exercises on the territory of Armenia”.
Despite the canceled drills, the Kremlin said Yerevan remains a “close ally” and plans to ask Armenia to clarify its position.