The United States "advises" Armenia to give up the Russian military base and border guards in the country, promising instead to "ensure security," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Tsargrad TV
"I know that the U.S. and its allies say to Armenia, as if ‘come to us, drive the Russians out of your territory, and the border guards too, remove the military base, the Americans will help ensure security.’ Open provocation! This is not diplomacy either... There is no such diplomacy anymore. There is direct bribery," Lavrov said, stressing that the U.S. often abandons its allies.
He recalled that the U.S. "abandoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak" and turned its back "on the Afghani leadership on whom they had relied throughout the 20-year occupation of that country."
The 102nd Russian military base is located in Gyumri, Armenia, the air component of this military base is located at Erebuni military airport in Yerevan.
"There are a lot of facts based on actions, statements from our closest allies, our strategic partners who say that they have been put (to put it mildly) in a very uncomfortable position. They are trying not to do anything that would cause economic damage," the Russian foreign minister said.
According to Lavrov, Moscow’s allies "find themselves caught in the crossfire," with Russia, the EAEU, and the CIS accounting for what he said was "the lion’s share" of their economic ties.
"At the same time, the network of budget-funded NGOs, primarily of the U.S., Britain and the EU, is expanding. In a number of post-Soviet countries, they feel more at ease and even try to call the shots. I will not list them; they are well known," Lavrov maintained.
"But despite all this, I believe that these countries stand together with the Russian Federation. They are truly our allies," Lavrov emphasized.
