Armenia-NATO talks "big fantasy", says Moscow

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Grushko said that the statement by Günter Fehlinger, Chairman of the Austria-based non-government organisation - European Committee for NATO Development - that Armenia should join the alliance is "big fantasy", TASS reports.

“These are big fantasies... Armenia is a member of the CSTO, and we proceed from reality,” Grushko said.

Grushko added that Moscow and Yerevan will "continue to strengthen military and political cooperation."

"This is our ally, and in the field of security we rely on each other. And I am convinced that this constant will be decisive in our bilateral relations for years and years to come," he noted. 

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Fehlinger called on Armenia to join the alliance. According to him, today, when Russia itself needs weapons amidt its ongoing "special operation" in Ukraine, even if it wants to, it will not be able to meet the needs of Armenia.