Armenia PM signals foreign policy shift away from Russia, labelling security alliances as "ineffective" and adding Armenia should join the International Criminal Court ICC
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday signalled a major foreign policy shift away from Russia following Moscow's refusal to enter the latest conflict over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The systems of external security in which Armenia is involved are ineffective when it comes to the protection of our security and Armenia's national interests," Pashinyan said. His address aired just days after Azerbaijan claimed full control over Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive that forced the ethnic Armenian separatist territory to sue for peace.
To be fair, one of the reasons Azerbaijan's able to be so agressive, is because the EU buys so much energy from them. Azerbaijan is arguably consolidating its position ahead of talks in Spain next month, so it can present the take-over as a fait accompli. They know the EU isn't able to go beyond a strongly worded condemnation. Beggars can't be choosers.
Of course, the reason the EU is forced to rely on Azerbaijan, is because Russia invaded Ukraine.
The reason Azerbaijan was able to invade Nagorno-Karabakh,and why Russian soldiers who are supposed to be preventing this kind of thing did nothing, is because Russia is too busy in Ukraine.
If Russia hadn't invaded Ukraine, Azerbaijan would likely have been more cautious.
Surely the EU would have been unlikely to intervene or protest beforehand anyway, though? No EU country has ever recognised Artsakh as the legitimate government of Nagorno-Karabakh, to my knowledge. Their official position has been that it's part of Azerbaijan since the first conflict thirty plus years ago