Armenia's Prime Minister Voices Concerns Over Russian Peacekeepers' Failure in Karabakh

Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has expressed his belief that the Russian military contingent has not fulfilled its duties in Nagorno-Karabakh. He shared this perspective in an interview with Politico.

According to the Armenian Prime Minister, after the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, Russia has lost its ability to effectively carry out its functions. However, Pashinyan also noted that it is challenging to assert that the situation would be significantly better without the presence of the Russian contingent.

"All of this was supposed to fall within the responsibility of Russian peacekeepers, and since these problems persist, Russian peacekeepers have not fulfilled their mission," he stated.

The disappointment in Yerevan could mark a significant turning point for the country with a population of 2.8 million, which, after the collapse of the USSR, delegated substantial control over its railways, energy sector, and even borders to Russia. When Armenia engaged in a 44-day war in 2020 against the stronger, Turkey-backed Azerbaijani forces—a conflict that claimed thousands of lives on both sides—Russian peacekeepers were deployed to maintain the ceasefire.

Now, as Russia is fully engaged in military actions in Ukraine, concerns are growing in Yerevan about whether President Vladimir Putin's soldiers are willing and capable of preserving peace in the Caucasus. This is a pressing concern as there are reasons to believe that Armenia may resume hostilities with Azerbaijan over the separatist enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Previously, Armenia's Prime Minister had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron in response to reports of an increase in Azerbaijani troop numbers along the line of demarcation with the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh and the border with Armenia.

Furthermore, the Armenian Prime Minister stated that in recent days, Azerbaijan has been increasing its military presence along the demarcation line with the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh and the border with Armenia. He pointed out that there was a recent border clash in which three Armenian soldiers were killed. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor persists, and Azerbaijan continues to claim that Armenia is violating the ceasefire.

Amid these developments, Nikol Pashinyan also remarked that the country's security dependence on a single entity, namely Russia, has proven to be a strategic mistake.

"Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia, especially in terms of arms and ammunition procurement. But today, when Russia needs arms and ammunition, it is evident that even if it wanted to, it could not meet Armenia's security needs," he said.

According to Pashinyan, this example illustrates that security dependence or attachment to a single center is, in itself, a strategic error.