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Armenian president admits 'strategic mistake' in trusting Russia as country moves towards the West (www.cnn.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by deconstruct@lemm.ee to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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The arrival of US soldiers for a peacekeeper training exercise in Armenia has rankled the Russian government, which has for decades acted as the sole security guarantor for the former Soviet republic. The 10-day “Eagle Partner” exercise, which began Monday, involves 85 US and 175 Armenian soldiers and aims to prepare the Armenians to take part in international peacekeeping missions.

The exercise, while small in scale, is the latest in a series of what Russia’s foreign ministry has deemed “unfriendly actions” taken by its traditional ally.

Armenia recently sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the first time, and its parliament is set to ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute – meaning it would be obliged to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to set foot in the country, which Russia has long viewed as its own backyard.

Armenia’s flirtation with new international partners has been spurred by its frustration that Russia has been unable or unwilling to defend it against what it sees as aggression from neighboring Azerbaijan, and has raised questions about Russia’s ability to retain its hold on countries and conflicts across the former Soviet empire.

Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan said his country was beginning to taste the “bitter fruits” of the “strategic mistake” of trusting Russia with near-exclusive responsibility for his country’s defense.

“Armenia’s security architecture 99.999% was linked to Russia,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier this month. “But today we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons… Even if it wishes so, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia’s needs.”

Edit: As Furball commented, Pashinyan is the Prime Minister of Armenia

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[-] photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 57 points 1 year ago

Quick! Before the Russians "free" you from the "Nazis"!

[-] teh_shame@infosec.pub 48 points 1 year ago

The Russian army isn’t even the best army in Russia

[-] squiblet@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

Russia is “what?? You don’t want to be defenseless if we invade you?! Hmmmph”

[-] Furball@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

Small correction, pashinyan is the prime minister, not the president

[-] deconstruct@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the correction. I updated the description.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 9 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Since Pashinyan came to power in 2018 on the back of Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution” – an outpouring of anger against lingering corruption and cronyism in the former Soviet republic – his country has faced growing tensions with Azerbaijan.

Dumoulin also pointed to the growing ties between Moscow and Baku – spurred by the personal relationship between Putin and Azerbaijan’s longtime President Ilham Aliyev – which may have come at Yerevan’s expense.

It’s some 260 people armed with rifles – not heavy weaponry – gathering in Armenia for nine to 10 days, to improve what they call ‘the interoperability of peacekeeping forces,’” said Ter-Matevosyan, pointing to the routine nature of such exercises around the world.

The Kremlin banned dairy imports from Armenia in April – ostensibly after some newly discovered health concerns, but in what Ohanyan suggested was a punishment for Yerevan considering the ICC ratification.

For Ter-Matevosyan, the current Armenian government, whose “ideological roots come from… liberal Western values,” have taken this “opportune moment” to implement “some of their ideas, thoughts and beliefs that they cherished for many years.”

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[-] zephyreks@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

You mean, Pashinyan flirting with the West led to Russia decreasing support for Armenia? No way!

Pashinyan is in a situation of his own making.

[-] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Russia saved Armenia back in 2020.

In 2020 Azerbaijan defeated Armenia in the battlefield. Armenian armies melted away, and Armenia had no answer to Ajerbaijan's Turkish Bayraktar drones. Khankendi was cut off from mainland Armenia and Azerbaijan was preparing to take it.

Russia stepped in and told both countries to put a stop to the fighting. The resulting deal was very generous to Armenia given their hopeless military situation. Azerbaijan only accepted it because they were afraid of Russia.

[-] fushuan@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Well, that's to be expected if that was the deal from the beginning. However, Azerbaijan shouldn't have defeated Armenia in the battlefield, Russia should have been there from the start to help them, not after the battle.

The resulting deal was very generous to Armenia given their hopeless military situation.

It was hopeless BECAUSE they decided to rely too much on Russia, that was the point of their agreement.

[-] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

Azerbaijan has more than 3 times the number people Armenia has. In addition Azeris have oil/gas and a strong ally in Turkey. Armenia's hopelss militaty situation is a given. They can't win any fight. The only thing they have going is Russia's support. Without Russian support Armenia is in a very bad spot.

In fact the only reason the 2020 war happened is that Azeris correctly predicted that Russian support for Armenia is not what it used to be, given Pashinyan's desire to flirt with the West.

[-] fushuan@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

So basically, you agree with the point that trusting Russia to defend them was not a good idea since their support was late when Armenia needed it.

[-] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

I'm laying down the complicated geopolitics of Caucasus, which you seem to be completely ignorant of.

Armenia would not have lost Karabakh if it wasn't for their desire to move closer with the West 🤣

[-] Xia@jlai.lu 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

you doesn't make any sense.

Well you do because you deform the fact.

Azeris attack Armenia. Armenia call Russia for help, Russia didn't move. Armenia get crush by azeris Russia, after a long time, just intervene to say "Ok time to stop but good run azeris you can keep the land". AFTER that Armenia began its rapprochement with the West

[-] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You know nothing about the Caucasus. Your timeline is wrong:

Armenia has been occupying Azeri land since the war in the 90s. Azerbaijan could not do anything because Russia supported Armenia.
In 2018 the government of Armenia gets toppled by Pashinyan, a pro-West politician. Russia stops protecting Armenia and in 2020 Azerbaijan moves in to take back Karabakh.
Armenia is crushed in the battle (no surprises there!). This is a very one-sided fight and Armenia has no chance.
Russia steps in at the last minute to save Armenia from total failure. The resulting peace deal is very generous to Armenia given how poorly it did in the battle.

The second Karabakh war happened only because of the 2018 coup in Armenia which gave control of Armenia to a pro-Western government. Without Russian support there was nothing Armenia could do to stop Azerbaijan taking back the land that was stolen in the first Karabakh war.