Simonyan: Russia Should Be More Restrained and Admit That it Cannot Ensure Armenia’s Security

YEREVAN — The Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan called on Moscow to be more restrained and admit that it is unable to ensure Armenia’s security as stipulated by Russian-Armenian treaties and the CSTO treaty.

Speaking to reporters, Simonyan said Russia certainly plays a role in the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, and Russian peacekeepers are deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, but its angry and emotional reaction to others’ efforts to help Armenia and Azerbaijan normalize their relations is incomprehensible.

In response to the deployment of some 100 EU monitors to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan Russia accused the European Union of trying to squeeze it out of the South Caucasus. In an official statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry argued that the civilian monitoring mission will not reduce the risk of fresh fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“I think Russia should be a little more calm, restrained and should understand that Armenia has its own interests and security problems, which should be ensured despite geopolitical fluctuations, someone’s desires or jealousy,” Simonyan said.

He also added that Russia should publicly admit that it cannot solve Armenia’s security issues.

“They always say they are in favor of someone else being able to solve the issue differently. But the fact is that it is up to them to solve this issue. They should have solved this issue (reopening of the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia). Let’s be honest, they are the ones who are to ensure our security and territorial integrity as provided for by many treaties,” said Alen Simonyan.

He said there is the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia, and all the treaties are aimed at solving the security issue.

“So, where are they? Why aren’t they helping Armenia to restore its territorial integrity? If they can’t, they need to publicly admit it and maybe we can sit down together and find other solutions,” Simonyan said.

Simonyan also said that the blockade of the Lachin corridor has caused more damage to Azerbaijan than to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Yes, we have suffered, yes, we are taking it hard that our compatriots are under blockade, yes, we have problems. But from a political point of view, Azerbaijan is in a stalemate, and our people, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, should use this political factor,” Simonyan said.