Armenia Faces New Threat of Attack from Baku: Le Monde

Armenia is learning lessons from the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is reported by Le Monde. After the Azerbaijani attack on September 19, the passivity of Russian peacekeepers has confirmed what Yerevan has increasingly condemned over recent months: Russia is no longer a reliable partner. According to the publication, never has there been such great distrust towards Moscow.

The article states: “As Armenia can no longer rely on its historical ally, which it now considers a ‘traitor’ or even a new enemy, it is seeking new partnerships to try to ensure its security. The necessity is greater as this small landlocked Caucasian country is at risk of a new attack from Baku, which seeks to gain control over the Zangezur corridor that is supposed to connect Azerbaijan with its exclave in Nakhchivan.”

It is noted that such diversification of alliances is at the core of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's new strategy. “We made a mistake by putting all our eggs in one basket,” said an official representative of the publication, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If we have five or six friends from whom we can buy weapons, and several economic partners, it will allow us not to be dependent solely on one if that entity wishes to punish us. It will enable us to better understand what we are doing. Yerevan intends not to completely sever ties with Russia but to reduce its extreme dependency. It remains our partner despite its unfriendly stance,” adds the same source.

Armenia, which has a bilateral defense agreement with Moscow, particularly condemns the issue of ‘already paid’ supplies of arms and equipment, in this case a contract worth over $250 million that has never been fulfilled.