The difficulties in relations between Russia and Armenia are temporary and will be resolved if political will is displayed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told TASS in an interview.
"In order to justify the strategic turnaround, they are attempting to blame Russia for all the republic’s problems, including the loss of Karabakh. We have repeatedly voiced Russia’s concerns publicly - it makes no sense right now to list again the unfriendly steps of Armenian authorities," the diplomat said.
The diplomat stressed that all difficulties in relations between Russia and Armenia are temporary and will be overcome if political will is present.
"Sustainable and gradual development of Russian-Armenian ties meets core interests of the people of the two states, which share common values and a single cultural code. The trade and economic ties and the industry dialogue between Moscow and Yerevan develop at an impressive rate. This is a foundation for relations between the two countries, and the most important support for development of Armenian economy and the welfare of Armenian people," Lavrov said.
The Russian FM underscored that the rapid growth of Armenia’s GDP in the recent years is largely caused by the cooperation with Russia and by Yeveran’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.
What does the West want?
The minister noted that now Yerevan is facing a number of challenges and it will not be possible to solve them with the help of Western players, because Washington and Brussels are not trying to bring peace and stability to the South Caucasus.
"Their task is quite different: to squeeze out Moscow and other regional players, to create a new hotbed of tension, following the example of the Balkans, the Middle East and Ukraine. The way out of the difficult situation is obvious: to implement the trilateral agreements of Yerevan, Baku and Moscow at the highest level," Sergey Lavrov said.
Russia's base in Gyumri
The Russian diplomat regarded as harmful any speculations on the expediency of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia.
"The treaty on its deployment there was concluded on March 16, 1995. It is based, first of all, on the national interests and the common task of our states to strengthen stability in the Southern Caucasus. The Russian military personnel is the key factor for ensuring peace in this region," the minister said.
Armenia and NATO
The Russian diplomat noted that Russia expects Armenia to realize the risk of losing its sovereignty in terms of national defense and security through deepening dialogue with NATO.
Lavrov recalled that, this year, Armenia has held dozens of joint exercises with the alliance. According to him, Yerevan continues to upgrade its armed forces to bring them to NATO standards, while the Armenian military is undergoing training in a number of NATO member countries.
"This cannot but cause our concern. We have repeatedly drawn the attention of our Armenian colleagues to the fact that NATO’s true goal is to strengthen its positions in the region and create conditions for manipulation based on the 'divide and conquer' scheme. I hope, Yerevan is aware that any deepening of cooperation with the alliance may result in its losing sovereignty in the sphere of national defense and security," the Russian FM said.
