Russia has not asked Armenia to participate in war in Ukraine – Armenian FM

Russia has not asked Armenia to participate in the war against Ukraine, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Finnish Lännen Media.

“To be honest, we have never been suggested, pressured, or expected to participate in any form in the war in Ukraine. There has been no attempt,” Mirzoyan said when asked whether, given the military alliance with Russia, it is possible to pressure Armenia to participate in military actions against Ukraine.

Speaking about Armenia’s participation in the CSTO, Mirzoyan added that formally the country is still part of the organization, but Yerevan has announced freezing its participation. According to him, Armenia has believed for decades that, in a military sense, it should be in this military alliance because there were common threats and certain concerns about possible aggression against the territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Armenia.

“We thought that this organization would help us protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen several attacks, and our internationally recognized borders have been violated. When that happened, we never got any real support. At the same time, with such commitments, allies are supposed to help each other. That is exactly the point of a military alliance,” he said.