Official: Kremlin uneasy as Armenia keeps one foot in Moscow, one in West

A senior Kremlin aide has criticised Armenia’s foreign policy direction, saying Yerevan is continuing to pursue a balancing strategy between rival partners amid growing signs of diplomatic diversification.

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Armenia was effectively “sitting on two chairs” in reference to its engagement with both Russia and Western partners, including recent outreach to the United Kingdom and participation in the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“Unfortunately, in Yerevan they continue to try to maintain a policy of ‘sitting on two chairs’,” Ushakov told reporters, adding that it was unclear how long such an approach could be sustained.

His remarks followed recent talks between Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during which, according to Ushakov, outstanding issues in bilateral relations had been addressed.

Ushakov also suggested that Armenia’s evolving external partnerships could undermine long-standing cooperation with Moscow.

“All this is, of course, detrimental to the development of our bilateral relations, which are highly beneficial both for Russia and for Armenia,” he said, adding that the benefits were “even more significant for our Armenian friends”.

By Aghakazim Guliyev