YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is for now only recording the facts and not drawing any conclusions in conditions of Russia and the CSTO failing to give appropriate reaction to Azerbaijan’s aggression against the territory of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference.

“The idea that Russia is the number one security ally and guarantor of security of Armenia has been a cornerstone in the process of the formation of the Republic of Armenia. We’ve also perceived and continue to perceive that issue in that way. And after the 44-Day-War of 2020 our primary concern was the following, that Azerbaijan will launch aggression against internationally recognized territory of Armenia. And this has been the main subject of our communications with Russia in the security sector. And I think this conversation was very concrete. And as a result of these conversations we had received official assurances that the borders of Armenia are red lines for our security allies and partners,” Pashinyan said.

However, when the events in Sotk-Khoznavar took place in May 2021, the Azeri invasion into territory of Armenia, Armenia expected concrete actions from Russia and other security partners as part of previously reached agreements. “And in response to Armenia’s appeals and applications, we received an argument that the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan are not demarcated. And in this context a substantial contradiction emerged, in this case where does that red line pass, and we’ve recorded this in interstate relations. In this context, the answer to this question has become very important for building future relations,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM emphasized that this red line de jure exists , it is the CSTO’s area of responsibility in the region, particularly in Armenia. “And during the CSTO summit in Yerevan our main objective was that not only do we have a problem in theory, but also in practice, to show and understand what the CSTO’s area of responsibility is in Armenia. And we said, without officially recording this line we don’t imagine adopting any document. This is the main content that remains on the table today. Meaning, the CSTO Yerevan summit is over, but the conversation is not. And this continues to be an agenda item for us,” the Armenian PM said.

In recent period, while communicating with Western countries Azerbaijan is explaining its aggressive actions by saying that it has fears that Armenia and Russia are preparing joint aggression against Azerbaijan and that their actions are “preventive”. The Armenian Prime Minister described this as absurd, and added that on the backdrop of the events in Ukraine this narrative generates some interest and that is why Azerbaijan is developing this narrative in the West. “And we are drawing the attention of our Russian partners on this fact, recording that in conditions of them not responding, it turns out that the Russian military presence in Armenia not only doesn’t guarantee Armenia’s security but on the contrary creates threats for Armenia’s security. And we are not drawing conclusions from these facts, we are simply recording the facts for now,” the PM said, adding that this has been a constant conversation with Russia.