Russia warns Armenia about obligations to CSTO

Against the backdrop of tense situation in Yerevan and strengthening worries of Moscow, a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is planned to be held in the near future.

“Another meeting between President Putin and PM Pashinyan is planned to be held in the near future. I think that it will be important for us to hear how the new leader of Armenia assesses the prospects for the improvement of the situation in his country,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reported.

He also said that Russia is concerned about Armenia's obligations before Collective Security Treaty Organization.

“We proceed from the fact that these obligations are in effect and must be fully implemented, including the ones related to strengthening the reputation and prestige of our common organization,” Lavrov noted.

This meeting with Vladimir Putin will be the third in the career of the Armenian prime minister. However, one cannot say that it will be effective.

Pashinyan himself, while commenting on the visit, was quite laconic.

“I do not want to say that we will solve all the issues, but I want to say with confidence that our cooperation continues and will continue in a natural way,” he said.

Considering today’s relations between the two states it is difficult to imagine what actually “a natural way” means.

Previously, Lavrov, commenting on the case on the protests on March 1, 2008, had said that the events in Armenia are contrary to the statements of the country's new leadership about the refusal to pursue political predecessors.

Moscow has always been interested in Armenia's stability, and therefore what is happening there bothers Russia as well, he noted.

According to Lavrov, during the political crisis in Armenia in May this year Moscow noted “with great satisfaction that as a result the solution to this crisis was found on the basis of a compromise with the participation of all leading parties.”

We hoped that, based on this result, all political forces, first of all the new leadership of Armenia, the new authorities, will continue to promote unifying approaches, will strengthen the national accord, he said.

"But the events of recent days clearly violate such a positive attitude, run counter to the recent statements by the new leadership of Armenia that it has no intention to organize the persecution of its predecessors for political reasons,” he concluded.

The statement of the Russian government followed immediately after the recent arrest of ex-President Robert Kocharian and the criminal prosecution of the CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov.

In this regard, it is also appropriate to recall the mass discontent in Armenian society over the presence of the Russian military base in Gyumri, the mass oppression of Russian business in Armenia, and the anti-Russia hysteria of the public of that country on social networks.

Pashinyan, commenting on Lavrov's words, said that his Russian colleagues should adapt to the new situation in Armenia.