Kremlin: Russia Has No Plans to Leave South Caucasus

MOSCOW – Moscow has responded to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statement that Russia itself is leaving the South Caucasus with its actions or inactions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reacting to the statement, said that Moscow has no plans to leave the region.

“Russia is an absolutely integral part of this region, so it cannot go anywhere. Russia cannot leave Armenia,” Peskov said, adding that it will continue to play the role of a regional “security guarantor.”

“There are more Armenians living in Russia than in Armenia itself, and most of them are exemplary, patriotic citizens of the Russian Federation who make a significant contribution to the development of our country,” he told reporters.

“We have deep respect for Prime Minister Pashinyan, we appreciate the working and very constructive relations between him and President Putin, but we can’t agree with those narratives. Russia doesn’t plan to go anywhere. Russia continues to play a consistent, very important role in stabilizing the situation and ending the conflict. In this context, what matters is the commitment of all regional countries to the trilateral statements on Nagorno-Karabakh. There’ve been new developments that have somewhat changed the situation, but this doesn’t mean that Russia is somehow deviating from its activity,” Peskov told reporters.