Moscow is pleased that Baku and Yerevan are communicating without Western mediators

Russia positively assesses the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Kazakhstan on 10-11 May on elaboration of a peace treaty. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with TASS.

"It is important that such meetings are in line with the trilateral agreements at the highest level in 2020-2022, which envisage, in addition to the conclusion of a peace treaty, the unblocking of transport and economic ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the delimitation of the joint border, the development of contacts through civil societies,’ he said.

What are the risks for Armenia's security in case of withdrawal from the CSTO? The Deputy Minister answered that there is no alternative for Yerevan. Many of Armenia's current risks could be eliminated if Yerevan allowed CSTO observers on the border with Azerbaijan in 2022.

As for the EU mission, according to Galuzin, it ‘does not protect the borders of the state, but collects intelligence against Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia’.

Armenia's further rapprochement with the West threatens the country's sovereignty and may make it ‘impossible to return to joint work on building a common defense space with Russia and other CSTO allies,’ the Russian Deputy Minister said.

"The expansion carried out by the "collective West" in the post-Soviet space is the manifestation of the centuries-old colonial policy aimed at siphoning off resources, exploiting the population and expanding its influence in the region," Galuzin believes.