Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Armenia of “distorting history” in an attempt to “break off” relations with Moscow, he said in an interview on March 28. Armenia has further sought to distance itself from Russia - repeatedly accusing Moscow of being an unreliable partner.
Bilateral trade between Russia and Armenia has flourished since 2022, providing ground for the accusations of alleged sanctions circumvention, media outlet Euroactiv reported on March 28.
The demands of the armed men are unknown. Some of the Russian media reports and propagandists claimed the Combat Brotherhood, a nationalist group, was behind the attack.
The reports come two days after several gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb, killing over 130 people and injuring at least 140.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Armenia for the first time during his 10 years in office and discussed the situation in the South Caucasus with the country's leadership, NATO's press service announced on March 19.
Representatives from the partially Russian-state owned bank VTB told RBC that most banks in Armenia, barring VTB, would stop accepting cards that worked through the Mir payment system by March 30.
Armenia will leave the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) if the military alliance fails to address Armenia's collective security concerns, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference on March 12.
Armenia is considering applying for membership in the European Union, aiming to strengthen ties with Western countries amid growing tensions with Russia, Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan revealed in an interview on March 9.
A Russian "peacekeeping" force has been stationed at Zvartnots Airport since Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union and outbreak of war with neighboring Azerbaijan.
Radar Armenia alleged that the trip to neither country is taking place as Baku canceled Zelensky's visit. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.
President Volodymyr Zelensky may visit Armenia in “the near future,” the Armenian news outlet FactorTV reported on Feb. 23. Preparations for the visit are currently underway, but the exact date has not yet been confirmed, the outlet reported, citing its sources.
"The Collective Security Treaty has not fulfilled its objectives as far as Armenia is concerned, particularly in 2021 and 2022. And we could not let that happen without taking notice," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Feb. 22.
"Our analysis shows... that Azerbaijan wants to launch military action in some parts of the border with the prospect of turning military escalation into a full-scale war against Armenia," Pashinyan said during a government meeting.
"At this difficult time for Ukraine, when a full-scale war has been going on for almost two years, Armenia offers a helping hand," said Armenia's ambassador to Ukraine, Vladimir Karapetyan.
Armenia cannot rely on Russia in terms of defense cooperation as it used to and needs to consider security relations with the U.S., France, India, and other states, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Feb. 1, Armenpress reported.
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