Peskov said that the exercises of Armenia and the United States cause the Kremlin's wariness
The Kremlin will analyze the plans of Washington and Yerevan to hold joint military exercises on the territory of Armenia and will monitor the situation, Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Yerevan has twice this year refused joint CSTO exercises with Russia. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized the results of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh.
The Kremlin is concerned about the plans of Armenia and the United States to hold joint exercises in the South Caucasus. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov at a daily briefing.
"Of course, this causes wariness, such news, especially in the current situation. Therefore, we will deeply analyze this news and monitor the situation," Peskov said.
The exercises are scheduled for September 11-20 in Armenia on the basis of the Zar center. The Armenian Defense Ministry noted that the exercises also aim to increase the readiness of Armenian units for operations "within the framework of the NATO operational capability concept."
According to the head of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov, the joint exercises of Armenia and the United States will not be a demonstration of the strength of the union of the two countries. He told the "Public News Service" about this.
"Armenia, as in general any independent state, has the right to conduct exercises with those with whom it deems necessary. Most likely, these exercises were planned in advance, so there is no question of any demonstration here," he believes.
Kartapolov urged not to make hasty conclusions about the nature of the upcoming maneuvers, and, according to him, it is worth waiting for them to begin.
Armenia's rejection of CSTO exercises
In January, Armenia rejected the CSTO exercises "Unbreakable Brotherhood-2023" with the participation of the Russian side, considering it "inappropriate" to hold them "at least this year." At the end of July, Yerevan did not participate in the CSTO joint exercises in Belarus to eliminate an accident at a nuclear facility, citing the employment of security forces.
Relations between Yerevan and the CSTO have become even more complicated after the escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Karabakh. Yerevan requested the assistance of the CSTO in accordance with the charter, which provides for joint actions in the event of a security threat, including collective defense. However, the organization replied that it stands for a non-violent solution to the problem. As a result of the escalation, Yerevan was forced to agree to Azerbaijan's conditions.
Subsequently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to sign a declaration following the meeting of the CSTO leaders, which did not condemn Azerbaijan's actions. On September 4, Pashinyan, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, said that Moscow was moving away from the South Caucasus, and called the decision to rely on Russia to ensure strategic security a mistake, since now "if desired, it will not be able to meet the needs of Armenia."
The Armenian Prime Minister said that the Lachin corridor should be under the control of Russian peacekeepers, but this is not happening.
"Why? There may be two reasons: either Russia cannot control the Lachin corridor, or it does not want to. Both reasons are problematic," Pashinyan summed up.
He also admitted that Armenia may withdraw from the CSTO or suspend its participation in the organization, reports 168.am .
"If Armenia de jure decides to withdraw from the CSTO, it will happen after Yerevan records that the CSTO has left Armenia. I do not rule out that Armenia may decide to suspend or freeze its membership in the CSTO," the prime minister said.
Moscow does not agree with Pashinyan's position. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to Pashinyan's statement: "I leave the statement of the Armenian leader entirely on his conscience." In turn, Peskov stressed that "Russia is an absolutely integral part of this region, so it cannot go anywhere."
The Rome Statute and participation in the Zelenskaya Summit
On September 1, the Armenian government sent the Rome Statute of the ICC to the Parliament for ratification. Yerevan signed the document in 1999, but did not give it legal force. The Constitutional Court of the country in 2004 recognized the contract as contrary to the basic law. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and the Children's Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of "illegal deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia." According to the document, if Putin or Lvova-Belova find themselves in countries that follow the Rome Statute, they may be subject to criminal prosecution.
Moscow has asked Armenia for clarifications on the ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 5. According to her, Yerevan's comments to Moscow on the situation in Karabakh are "unacceptable." According to Zakharova, representatives of Armenia have recently been allowing rhetoric "on the verge of rudeness" on the situation with the Lachin corridor.
In addition, on September 6, it became known that Pashinyan's wife Anna Hakobyan went to Kiev to participate in the summit organized by the wife of the President of Ukraine Elena Zelenskaya. This is reported by the newspaper Kommersant. The summit with the participation of spouses of leaders of different countries is held annually, this is the third in a row. His theme was "Mental health: Fragility and resilience of the future." According to the media, Hakobyan will bring the first humanitarian aid from Armenia to Ukraine with him.
Mikhail Rodionov
