INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Armenia will not host Russian-led military exercises this year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated Tuesday, indicating growing
disappointment with Moscow.Pashinyans statement came after the leader of the ex-Soviet republic criticized Moscow and the work of Russian
peacekeepers in the South Caucasus, which has been plagued for decades by battling in between Armenia and Azerbaijan.Speaking to reporters,
Pashinyan said he saw no reason for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to stage military drills in Armenia this year
These workouts will not happen, he told reporters
Armenia does not think it is expedient to carry out CSTO workouts in the republic this year
Analysts say Russia-- sidetracked by its lengthy war in Ukraine-- is losing impact in the Southern Caucasus after decades of playing the
function of power broker.Pashinyan kept in mind the organization had actually declined to condemn Azerbaijan, which battled a six-week war
with Armenia for control of the majority-Armenian area of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020
The conflict declared more than 6,500 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered truce that saw Yerevan cede areas it had managed for decades
and Moscow send peacekeepers to Karabakh.Turkey, Azerbaijans main weapons provider, backed Baku in the conflict.Despite the end of the
large-scale fighting, stress over their borders persist
In May 2021, Armenia implicated Azerbaijan of breaching its territorial stability and moving forces into its area
Pashinyan indicated Russia, which Armenia had actually considered an ally number one, had let his nation down at the time
Armenia expected concrete actions from its Russian partners and other partners in the field of security, Pashinyan said Tuesday, referring
This issue is very important from the perspective of developing more relations, he added.Headquartered in Moscow, the CSTO groups Russia
and the previous Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
The security alliance stated Tuesday it was looking for other places for the exercises.Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov called
Pashinyans announcement a rather brand-new statement
In any case, Armenia is our really close ally, he said
We will continue the dialogue
Including on those issues that are now very complicated
Analysts have actually indicated Russias aversion to butt heads with Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus.Pashinyan has actually likewise
repeatedly implicated Russian peacekeepers of failing to safeguard ethnic Armenians in Karabakh and called for a multinational peacekeeping
force to step in.Yerevan states Azerbaijan because mid-December has actually been blocking an essential roadway linking Armenia with
Karabakh, stimulating lacks of food, medicine and fuel
To deal with food lacks, local authorities state they plan to introduce provision stamps.As part of the 2020 ceasefire, Russian peacekeepers
are responsible for preserving security over the link, described as the Lachin corridor.
