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YEREVAN (Yerkir)—Armenian Revolutionary
Federation leaders have expressed concern over Russia’s recent
deepening of military cooperation with Armenia’s main regional
adversaries, saying Moscow’s policies in the Caucasus are
becoming “very dangerous” and run counter to a military alliance
between Armenia and Russia.
ARF Armenia Supreme Council member and
chairman of the parliamentary committee of defense and national
security, Hrair Karapetian, told reporters Wednesday that
Russia’s posturing goes counter to the Collective Security
Treaty Organization, of which Azerbaijan is not a member. The
CSTO is a Russia-led defense alliance between six former Soviet
States, which was established to counterbalance NATO’s influence
in the region.
Karapetian highlighted a plan of joint
military activities for next year that was recently signed by
the defense ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia. He said, “This
makes us wonder, ‘What is the difference between us and
Azerbaijan?’ We are a member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, Azerbaijan is not. Is it worth deepening military
cooperation with a country whose representatives periodically
make bellicose statements?”
He said the Russian policy “…is at least
strange and unacceptable to us. It contributes to the
development of an even more dangerous situation,” with regards
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Karapetian went on to deplore Russian-Turkish
military cooperation. Moscow is seeking to forge closer defense
links with “a country that still threatens Armenia’s security,”
he said.
At a press conference Tuesday, ARF Bureau
member Vahan Hovannesian said that Moscow’s policies related to
the South Caucasus are becoming “very dangerous” for Armenia.
The two ARF leaders urged Armenia’s
traditional allies, including members of the CSTO, of forging
military relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as they would
shift the balance of power in the region.
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