Russia Regrets Armenia's Participation in NATO Summit: Galuzin Discusses Risks

The Russian side deeply regrets Armenia's participation in the NATO summit scheduled to be held in Washington, stated Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin to RIA Novosti. Addressing the topic of security, Galuzin recalled that Armenia remains a member of the CSTO and is a party to numerous bilateral agreements in the military and military-technical fields.

“However, unfortunately, instead of a constructive approach to discussing concerns, Yerevan has chosen a different path. Armenia prefers to increase cooperation with NATO or individual members of the alliance, especially regarding the implementation of NATO standards, the procurement of weapons, or conducting joint combat training exercises,” he said.

From the diplomat's perspective, by deepening cooperation at such a pace with those whose goal is Russia's strategic defeat, Yerevan is risking destabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus significantly, including at the expense of its own national security.

According to him, knowledgeable experts and politicians in Armenia understand the potential price of such reckless steps. “In my opinion, the unrealistic nature of attempts to sit on two chairs, even in another domain such as the economy, has been very clearly expressed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk when he spoke about Yerevan's European ambitions concerning its commitments within the EAEU,” Galuzin noted.

Earlier, it was reported that Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was visiting Washington on July 9-10, where he participated in events dedicated to NATO's 75th anniversary.