Deepening Cooperation with NATO Could Seriously Destabilize the Situation in the Caucasus, Threatening Armenia’s Own Security, Says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

Armenia remains a member of the CSTO and is a party to numerous bilateral agreements in the military and military-technical spheres. However, Yerevan has chosen a different path instead of constructively discussing current concerns, stated Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

“Armenia prefers to increase cooperation with NATO or individual members of the alliance, especially regarding the implementation of NATO standards, the purchase of weapons, or conducting joint combat readiness activities, not to mention participation in the summit of this military-political alliance currently taking place in Washington,” the official said.

According to him, all of this brings nothing but extreme regret. “Deepening cooperation at such a pace with those whose goal is Russia’s ‘strategic defeat’ endangers the situation in the South Caucasus, to the detriment of, among other things, its own security. I believe that knowledgeable specialists and political figures in Armenia understand the potential harms of such reckless moves. In my opinion, the unrealistic nature of attempts to sit on two chairs, even in the economic sphere, was clearly expressed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk during his speech at the Primakov Readings forum in Moscow at the end of last month, speaking about Yerevan’s European aspirations regarding its obligations within the EEU,” Galuzin concluded.