Tension between Armenia and Russia escalates once more
Fired-Up Rant: Armenia-Russia Tensions Soar
The relationship between Armenia and Russia is sizzling hot with renewed strife. The Armenian government abruptly cut off a major Russian propaganda platform, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has condemned two anonymous members of a Moscow-led security alliance for conspiring to aid Azerbaijan in reclaiming Nagorno Karabakh.
These former allies have had a falling out, with Yerevan accusing Moscow of failing to uphold its commitments to safeguard Armenian security interests during the Second Karabakh War. The hostilities finally came to a halt in fall 2023, when Azerbaijani forces forced an estimated 100,000 Karabakh Armenians to flee the territory. Since then, Pashinyan's government has cooled its ties with Russia, while strengthening bonds with the United States and European Union.
On May 29, Armenia declared the temporary halt of broadcasts by Russia's state-owned broadcaster, Channel One, allegedly due to unpaid debts to the Armenian agency that manages digital frequencies. Yet, the political undercurrents were palpable. This move happened after Channel One aired a talk show filled with fierce criticism of Pashinyan's leadership, with Russian lawmakers attacking the Armenian prime minister for undermining the Russian-Armenian alliance and providing too many concessions to Azerbaijan, leaving Armenia's national security compromised. By May 31, broadcast resumed in Armenia, according to multiple media reports, after Russia cleared its outstanding payments.
Just before the ban announcement, Pashinyan denounced "two" members of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) of aiding Azerbaijan in its war efforts. Despite Armenia's partnership with the CSTO, frosty relations with Moscow have resulted in frozen active participation in the alliance.
"I can name at least two CSTO member countries that participated in the preparation of the war against us. These countries may have given the impression that they wanted to help us," Pashinyan stated on May 22. "The aim of this war was to eradicate an independent Armenian state".
Later, Pashinyan hinted at Belarus as one of the unnamed co-conspirators following Alexander Lukashenko's comments made during his mid-May visit to Azerbaijan.
No sooner had Pashinyan made the accusation than Russia responded. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, challenged Pashinyan to reveal the names, questioning if everyone should speculate or would they be told later.
Zakharova claimed that Russia did its utmost to prevent Armenia from feeling isolated and neglected during the six-week war with Azerbaijan, brokering a ceasefire agreement in October 2020, which Pashinyan initially rejected, resulting in further losses for Armenia before agreeing to another Russian-brokered ceasefire two weeks later.
Diplomatic tensions escalated on May 24, as Russia recalled its ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopyrkin, for consultations, without elaborating on the motives behind the move. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also remained tight-lipped, stating simply that ambassadors frequently return for consultations.
The Armenian government's decision to halt broadcasts by Russia's state-owned broadcaster, Channel One, sparked political controversy, particularly due to the timing of the announcement following charges against two unnamed members of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) of aiding Azerbaijan in its war efforts. The tense political landscape is not only confined to this issue, as policy-and-legislation and general-news discussions also revolve around the escalating war-and-conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the role of politics in shaping relationships between Armenia and Russia.
