VIDEO: Zakharova on Yerevan's Statements

The Armenian authorities have begun to limit political dialogue with Russia and inter-agency cooperation. This was announced today during a press briefing by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The economy shows the interest of people, companies, and businesses in strengthening and consolidating ties, while for some reason, the political elite is doing the complete opposite. Russia is interested in restoring full-format cooperation, moving away from manipulative rhetoric,” she said during the briefing.

According to Zakharova, Yerevan's statements create the impression that the same countries are not part of the EEU and CSTO, whereas the core is unified (only Tajikistan is not a part of the EEU). In her opinion, there seems to be a deliberate dissemination of misinformation about the CSTO by certain political forces in Armenia. She added that the claims that the CSTO did not defend Armenia are untrue.

“Regardless of what happens, under the pretext of (not defending Armenia), the country’s leadership has limited political dialogue with Russia and inter-agency cooperation. Yerevan continuously reduces that cooperation. Conversely, Armenia has started to rapidly move closer to the West. There is something manipulative in all of this,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry representative.

She also noted that the West is trying to exert pressure on Armenia’s international policy, which is confirmed by statements from Western officials about attempts to pull Armenia away from Russia.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once again accused the CSTO, calling the organization a threat to Armenia’s sovereignty. At the same time, the Prime Minister stated that Yerevan does not intend to sever economic ties with Russia and the EEU.

It should be noted that in 2023, the bilateral trade between Armenia and Russia reached a record $7.4 billion, while in the first half of this year, the figure increased to $8.4 billion.