Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his country is “not Russia’s ally” in the war in Ukraine but also dismissed speculation that it has long-term plans to join the Western NATO alliance.
“In the Ukraine situation, we are not Russia’s ally,” he said in a Feb. 11 interview with UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
Mr. Panshinyan’s remarks follow months of strained relations between Moscow and Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.
A former Soviet socialist republic, Armenia is a longstanding member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a six-nation security bloc led by Moscow.
Established in the wake of the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, the CSTO also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Since Russia launched its invasion of eastern Ukraine almost two years ago, Armenia has sought to distance itself from the security bloc.
“There are some discussions in Armenia as to whether ... the alliance-based strategy is consistent with Armenia’s longer-term interests,” Mr. Pashinyan told The Daily Telegraph in reference to his country’s CSTO membership.
Last September, Yerevan recalled its permanent representative to the CSTO and declined to take part in joint military drills held in Belarus, a key Russian ally.
It also declined to participate in a Minsk-hosted CSTO summit in November 2023 attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the time, Mr. Pashinyan said that any decision regarding his country’s continued CSTO membership would be taken “in line with Armenia’s interests.”
In remarks that raised hackles in Moscow, he went on to assert that Armenia’s membership in the security bloc was hindering efforts to procure arms and support from “other sources.”
PM: No Talk of NATO Accession
Yerevan’s apparent estrangement from the Moscow-led CSTO hasn’t been the only recent sign of strained Russia–Armenia relations.Last September, Armenia drew Moscow’s ire by hosting elements of the U.S. Army for joint military exercises.
The move prompted some Russian officials to accuse the United States of seeking to gain a “foothold” in the South Caucasus region, which Moscow has historically viewed as its backyard.
Moscow has also been discomfited by recent assertions by Yerevan that Armenia’s membership in the CSTO had failed to ensure its security needs.
Last October, NATO member France announced the sale of advanced radar systems and anti-aircraft missiles to Armenia’s military.
At the time, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Paris would help modernize Armenia’s armed forces and provide training for its military personnel.
“We stand by our defense relationship [with Armenia], even though we’re not part of the same military and political alliances,” Mr. Lecornu said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart.
Soon afterward, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Yerevan that it risked “losing its sovereignty in terms of defense and security” by allowing itself to be drawn into NATO’s orbit.
“We’ve repeatedly told our Armenian colleagues that NATO seeks to bolster its position in the [South Caucasus] region ... based on the ‘divide-and-conquer’ strategy,” Mr. Lavrov said.
Since 1992, Armenia has been a member of NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.
In 1994, Armenia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace initiative, the ostensible aim of which is to “strengthen security relationships between NATO and non-member countries in the Euro–Atlantic area.”
Yet despite Moscow’s stated concerns, Yerevan has repeatedly claimed there are no plans—for the time being at least—to bring Armenia into NATO as a full-fledged member.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mr. Pashinyan said his country’s eventual accession to the Western alliance isn’t a question Armenia has discussed or is discussing.
He also stressed that instances of military cooperation between Armenia and certain NATO-aligned states weren’t directed against any third parties.
“With the U.S. or France or other partners, our security cooperation is not targeted against our other security sector partner,” he said in an oblique reference to Russia.
Rome Statute Ratification Row
In a further sign of strained relations with Moscow, Armenia’s Parliament in October 2023 ratified the Rome Statute, giving the International Criminal Court jurisdiction in Armenian territory.Last year, the Hague-based tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Putin for alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine—a claim rejected by Moscow.
Yerevan’s ratification of the Rome Statute, which came into force on Feb. 1, presumably means that Armenia would have to arrest Mr. Putin were he to visit the country.
In his recent remarks to the British press, Mr. Pashinyan declined to say whether local authorities would, in fact, enforce the arrest warrant for the Russian leader.
“As to the legal subtleties,” he said, “I cannot at the moment carry out legal analysis because that’s the job of the lawyers.”
“I don’t decide whom to arrest and whom not to arrest.”
