Russia protests to Armenia as tensions rise over disputed Caucasus region

(Reuters) – Russia called in the Armenian ambassador on Friday to lodge a protest against what it sees as “unfriendly steps” amid escalating tension over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus.

In response, Armenia’s foreign ministry issued a statement shortly after, expressing its willingness to resolve disputes with Azerbaijan regarding the territory, which has been the focal point of two wars in the past three decades. However, it made no mention of the Russian complaints.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, in a series of statements, accused Armenia of posing a threat to regional stability by supporting separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed each other on Thursday for moving troops close to their shared border.

On Friday, Russia strongly expressed its discontent with the Armenian ambassador for signing up to the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Moscow was also displeased with Armenia’s agreement to hold a military exercise with the United States and a humanitarian visit to Ukraine by the Armenian prime minister’s wife.

Armenia heavily relies on Russia for defense supplies and hosts a Russian military base. However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently admitted in an interview that relying solely on Russia for security was a strategic mistake. He stated that Moscow, occupied with its conflict in Ukraine, has been unable to fulfill its role in the South Caucasus.

The region of Karabakh, which has historically been recognized as part of Azerbaijan, is mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians. Armenian forces gained control of the surrounding territory as the Soviet Union dissolved in the 1990s. However, Azerbaijan reclaimed these areas in a six-week conflict in 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Despite ongoing negotiations, a lasting peace agreement has not yet been reached.

Armenia has lodged complaints against Russian peacekeepers tasked with overseeing the 2020 ceasefire, claiming that they have not resolved the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Additionally, Armenia has openly questioned its continued membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance led by Russia comprising six former Soviet republics.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated in the same interview that relying solely on Russia for security was a strategic mistake. Nevertheless, Moscow asserts its intention to remain the principal guarantor of security in the Caucasus.

An adviser on foreign policy to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that his country is prepared to allow Red Cross aid from Armenia into Nagorno-Karabakh if Red Crescent aid from Azerbaijan is also permitted at the same time.

(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Ron Popeski, and Richard Chang)