Armenia trying to sever ties with Moscow: Russia FM
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Moscow says that Yerevan is apparently trying to deflect responsibility for its "failures in both domestic and foreign policies" by accusing Russia of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
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A Russian peacekeeper guards the Lachin corridor connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia, on December 27, 2022 (AP)
Moscow said on Monday that Armenia was actively seeking to sever the ties between the two neighbors, following Yerevan's allegations that Russian peacekeepers had failed to halt Azerbaijan's military offensive against self-proclaimed Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh just the previous week.
Russia's foreign ministry stated, "The leadership in Yerevan is making a significant mistake by deliberately attempting to dismantle Armenia's extensive and long-standing connections with Russia, and by exposing the nation to the geopolitical strategies of the West."
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Azerbaijan initiated a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, with the announced goal of "restoring constitutional order." Baku further claimed that Azerbaijani forces only attacked Armenian military facilities in the region.
The attack followed just days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially acknowledged that his country recognizes the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed limitations on Moscow's involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh following Armenia's public recognition of Azerbaijan's claim to the Armenian-majority region.
However, Pashinyan voiced criticism towards Moscow on Sunday for its non-involvement in the conflict, which ultimately led to Armenian-backed self-proclaimed authorities agreeing to disarm. The prime minister also contended that Armenia's existing foreign security alliances were "ineffective" and "insufficient," in reference to Yereven's relations with Russia.
In response to his remarks, Moscow declared that they contained "unacceptable attacks on Russia."
"It appears to be an effort to deflect responsibility for the failures in both domestic and foreign policies," the foreign ministry added.
Six weeks of violence in the autumn of 2020 between Baku and Yerevan claimed over 6,500 lives and ended with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire. As a result, Russia deployed 2,000 peacekeepers to monitor the truce between the warring countries.
"The respect for Armenian statehood has consistently been upheld by Russia," the statement noted, while also pointing out that Yerevan appeared to "favor seeking support from the West rather than working closely with Russia and Azerbaijan."
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that Azerbaijan and representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian people had reached an agreement to end hostilities through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers.
According to the defense ministry, which was later confirmed by both sides of the conflict, military groups in the region have begun to relinquish their weapons and equipment under the supervision of Russian peacekeepers, in accordance with the agreement.
