Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, called his country’s current international security arrangements “ineffective” on Sunday, making a subtly pointed jab at longtime ally Russia.
Pashinyan’s remarks, which were broadcast nationally, signified a significant shift in foreign policy away from Moscow, where Armenia has come under increasing scrutiny.
Days after Azerbaijan’s decisive win in the contentious Nagorno-Karabakh region, Pashinyan declared: “The systems of external security in which Armenia is engaged are ineffective when it comes to the protection of our security and Armenia’s national interests.”
Armenia belongs to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a bloc of six post-Soviet states dominated by Russia.
Similar to NATO, the organisation promises to defend other members who are attacked.
But since it was mired in its own battle in Ukraine, Russia declined to support Armenia in the most recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, claiming that Yerevan had already recognised the disputed territory as belonging to Azerbaijan.
“It has become clear to all of us that the CSTO instruments and the Armenian-Russian military-political cooperation instruments are insufficient for protecting Armenia’s external security,” he stated.
In collaboration with all the partners that are willing to take constructive action, Pashinyan added, “We must transform and supplement the instruments of Armenia’s external and domestic security.”
The so-called Rome Statute, a treaty that established the International Criminal Court and to which Russia is not a party, should be ratified by Armenia, he said.
Because of his actions in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the subject of an arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Regarding his intention to join the ICC, Pashinyan stated, “The decision is not directed against CSTO and the Russian Federation.”
It stems from national security concerns, and making such a choice is within our sovereign rights.
