Russia on Monday again accused Western powers of trying to drive it out of the South Caucasus when it responded to a senior British official who praised Armenia for effectively suspending its membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
A British parliamentarian asked Armed Forces Minister James Heappey late last week about “the potential benefits to the UK defense industry of Armenia’s withdrawal” from the Russian-led military alliance.
“This does not yet represent a formal withdrawal from the organization,” Heappey said in a written answer. “The UK recognizes this decision as Armenia’s sovereign right and will work with Euro-Atlantic allies to support Armenia in the face of Russian threats of retaliation.”
“The UK is a signatory of the OSCE arms embargo, and as such any benefits to UK defense industry must occur within the mandated restrictions. We will continue to work closely with Armenia to explore opportunities for closer cooperation,” he wrote.
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“We are no longer surprised by the fact that London stopped hiding the anti-Russian nature of all its steps in the post-Soviet space, including in the South Caucasus,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “But Heappey’s revelations are also a direct confirmation that the West is trying to turn Armenia into an instrument of its policy in the region directed against Moscow.”
In comments to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency, the ministry said the British official’s statement is also another “reason to think for responsible politicians in Yerevan.”
Moscow has repeatedly voiced such accusations over the past year amid a significant deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced last month that Armenia has effectively “frozen” its membership in the CSTO. Earlier in February, he visited Munich to attend an international security conference and meet with Western officials, including the chief of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency, Richard Moore.
Pashinian subsequently did not rule out its formal exit from the CSTO, saying that the military alliance is becoming a security threat to his country.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected his claims that the CSTO and Russia in particular have not honored their security commitments to Armenia. Lavrov said Russia will seriously “reconsider” its relationship with Yerevan if the latter continues drifting away from its traditional ally and aligning with the West.
