Responding to the Armenian prime minister’s criticism of Moscow in the European Parliament, Russia compared Nikol Pashinyan to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Pashinyan claimed in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that Armenia’s “security allies” are trying to get him ousted with the help of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Prime Minister also blamed Russian peacekeepers for the mass exodus of ethnic Karabakh Armenians that took place after Azerbaijan’s 19-20 September military operation.
According to Russian state media, a “high-ranking source in Moscow” denounced Pashinyan’s speech.
“We regard Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s speech in the European Parliament on October 17 as absolutely irresponsible and provocative, especially with regard to Russia and Russian-Armenian relations.”
We see how they are trying to turn Armenia into Ukraine […] Pashinyan is following in the footsteps of Volodymyr Zelensky by leaps and bounds.
Relations between Moscow and Yerevan escalated after the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan with Russia’s tacit consent. Late last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Pashinyan of seeking to destroy Russian-Armenian relations and reorient the country towards the West.
On 10 October, Pashinyan stated that Armenia had no plans to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) or other Russian-led blocs.
Afterwards, Vladimir Putin announced his visit to Armenia despite Yerevan’s recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction, which issued an arrest warrant for him in March. The Armenian Parliament ratified the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on October 3, ignoring Russia’s stern warnings.
The Armenian opposition criticised the move, calling it “reckless.” Opposition leaders argue that Pashinyan raises the risk of a new Azerbaijani attack on Armenian territory. In the European Parliament, the Prime Minister called on Western powers to prevent Baku from “provoking a new war in the region”.
