Armenian envoy to EU complains of undermining Russia's interests in the Caucasus

Armenian Ambassador to the EU Tigran Balayan has said Armenia had deep historical ties with Russia and attempts to undermine Russia's interests in the Caucasus are suicidal.

“Armenia’s geography means it historically and practically has so many connections with Russia that only phantasmagoric people think Armenia would take the suicidal step of trying to undermine Russian interests in the region,” Caliber.Az quotes Balayan as saying in an interview with Politico.

“The Armenia-EU relationship is based on Armenian national interests. Currently, our national interest demands that we have exemplary relations with the EU and all its member states,” he said.

“That doesn’t exclude bilateral good relations with Russia, and that’s something we want to explain to our Russian colleagues,” he added.

According to Balayan, who heads Armenia’s EU delegation, that shouldn’t be seen as a “pivot to the West” at the expense of Russia.

“When we are talking about these issues with Russian diplomats, and I tell them what we are doing, I’ve never received any counterargument as to why we shouldn’t — how European and American investments into Armenia’s economy could harm Russian interests,” he said.

Earlier this month, at a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the EU unveiled a €270 million package designed to help bolster the economic independence and resilience of the former Soviet republic. Russia currently has an effective monopoly over Armenia’s energy networks, railways and imports of key goods like grain.