Galuzin: West incites Armenia to break ties with Russia

The West is inciting Armenia to break relations with Russia and the organizations in which it participates, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

"In Armenia, the West seeks to establish itself ‘on the ground’ through an EU observation, but in fact, reconnaissance, mission," he said, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

Galuzin noted that in this way, it wants to substitute Russia for Yerevan. 

To recall, in January this year, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Western countries of pressuring Armenia to sever its traditional ties with Russia. The ministry claimed that Western nations intensified their efforts to persuade Armenia to leave Russian-led organizations and end Russia's military presence in the country. They warned that such actions could lead Armenia down a path fraught with security challenges and economic difficulties.

This development follows Armenia's approval in January 2025 of a bill to initiate the process of joining the European Union, signalling a clear shift towards Western integration. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that this move was in response to Armenia's dissatisfaction with Russia's failure to defend it against Azerbaijan. He noted that EU membership would require a referendum and would not be a rapid process.

Additionally, in June 2024, Armenia announced its intention to withdraw from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), accusing members of plotting a war against Armenia in collaboration with Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Pashinyan confirmed that Armenia had "frozen" its participation in the CSTO and would leave the bloc at a time of Armenia's choosing.

By Khagan Isayev