Great Britain to Protect Armenia from 'Threats of Russia's Retaliatory Measures'

The UK’s Deputy Defense Minister James Heappey has announced that Great Britain acknowledges Armenia's decision to suspend its membership in the CSTO and plans to provide support to Yerevan in the event of “threats from retaliatory measures stemming from Russia.” He made this statement in response to a written inquiry from the British Parliament. This information was reported by RT.

“Great Britain recognizes this decision (to suspend CSTO membership) as an exercise of Armenia's sovereign rights and will cooperate with Euro-Atlantic allies to support responses to threats from retaliatory actions by Russia,” Heappey stated.

The UK Deputy Defense Minister made this announcement while responding in writing to MP Robert Buckland's inquiry. The parliamentarian had asked about the potential benefits to the British defense industry in the event of Armenia’s departure from the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Heappey noted that any benefits should be in accordance with the limitations agreed upon regarding the arms embargo established by the OSCE, which the UK has signed. He emphasized that London will continue to closely cooperate with Armenia in searching for opportunities to deepen collaboration.

In an interview with RT, Vladimir Olenchenko from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Center for European Studies stated that Western countries plan to “pull” Armenia into European structures. “This plan existed at the time of Pashinyan’s rise to power, and apparently, his actions are aimed at isolating Armenia. Although this contradicts historical traditions, the interests of the population, and common sense. The United States is interested in making Armenia a catalyst against Russia. In this regard, they delegate someone to voice their strategies—in this case, Great Britain. Given that Yerevan is considering the possibility of EU membership, all this seems to be elements of a single plan,” said the political scientist.

Earlier, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced that Moscow has offered consultations to Armenia to alleviate concerns regarding the CSTO.