Russia summons Armenian charge d'affaires over 'anti-Russian media campaign'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that the Armenian charge d'affaires was summoned on Oct. 25 over an "anti-Russian campaign" in Armenia’s government-controlled media.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Zakharova said the Armenian diplomat was informed about the "inadmissibility" of the media campaign.

Meanwhile, she declined to comment on reports claiming that Moscow refused to approve Yerevan's nomination for the post of its ambassador to Russia.

"Such issues are decided exclusively between the two states in a confidential manner each time on the specific candidacy of the corresponding representative. And it is not commented on in the media," she said.

Zakharova also criticized an interview given by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to US media, saying he "fell for provocative questions aimed at causing maximum damage to the multifaceted relations between Moscow and Yerevan."

"The interview attempted to downplay the importance of Armenia's ties with Russia, to belittle the role of our military and border guards in ensuring the security of the republic and its citizens and expresses disappointment with the effectiveness of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) as well as Russian peacekeepers," she said.

Zakharova emphasized that the growth of the Armenian economy in recent years is connected with close trade and economic cooperation with Russia and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), noting that Yerevan is the principal beneficiary of the EAEU.

The Russian military base in Armenia serves the purpose of stability in conditions of Armenia's "complicated" relations with its neighbors and Russian peacekeepers risk their lives to protect Armenian citizens, she said.

The CSTO stopped the 2022 civil unrest in Kazakhstan and was ready to contribute to de-escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but Yerevan preferred to invite the European Union Monitoring Mission, which did nothing at the time of the escalation, she argued.

She also said that the EU mission is gathering reconnaissance data against Russia and Iran, using its "monitoring status" as a cover.

Zakharova also called Yerevan's bet on Western mediation “erroneous,” referring to Armenia's agreement to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, which prompted Baku's active steps on the return of its Karabakh territory.