The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held in Moscow on April 1 recorded the new realities of bilateral relations. The focus was on Yerevan’s geopolitical priorities and the final closure of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, the responsibility of which the Kremlin now places entirely on the Armenian leadership.

As Sputnik agency reports, the sincere dialogue of the leaders lasted several hours. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov According to him, in the comment given to “Vesti” news agency and journalist Pavel Zarubin, the Armenian side understood Moscow’s concerns, but Russia will continue to monitor the practical development of interstate relations. One of the key issues became the foreign political vector of Yerevan.

“Vedomosti” periodical notes that Vladimir Putin directly pointed out the impossibility of Armenia’s simultaneous participation in the customs unions of the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian President, confirmed that although the choice of unification is the sovereign right of the country, it will not be possible to combine full membership in both structures. The Prime Minister of Armenia agreed with this thesis, but expressed his belief that the current agenda of Yerevan’s contacts with Europe at this stage is compatible with the obligations assumed within the framework of EAEU.

The second most important topic was the discussion of the consequences of the Karabakh conflict. According to the publication of RBC, Moscow insists that references to Russia be completely excluded during the discussion of this issue. Dmitry Peskov emphasized that what happened in the region is entirely the result of the decisions of the current Yerevan authorities, and the Russian side has nothing to do with it.

Nikol Pashinyan during the meeting announced the need to stop the Karabakh return movement, citing the established fact of establishing peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Let’s remind that more than 100,000 people left Nagorno-Karabakh after the Baku military operation in the fall of 2023, the unrecognized republic officially ceased to exist on January 1, 2024, and the Russian peacekeeping troops were completely withdrawn from the region in June of the same year.

—