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On Saturday, Russia expressed its willingness to provide “necessary” assistance to Armenia, which faces a conflict with Azerbaijan in the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh region, should the battles spread to Armenian lands.
The announcement by Russia, which had renewed its call for a ceasefire, came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked President Vladimir Putin to initiate “urgent” consultations on the help Moscow could provide to Yerevan.
And Pashinyan sent his message after Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to reach a new ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh during talks in Geneva on Friday. These announcements raise fears of escalating fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Russia has a military base in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia, and has a mutual security treaty with Yerevan. But it has previously said that it does not include the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh region.
“Russia will provide Yerevan with all necessary assistance in case of direct clashes on the territory of Armenia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In a letter to Putin, Pashinyan said on Saturday morning that the fighting was closing in on the border with Armenia and again accused Turkey of supporting Azerbaijan.
He asked Moscow for help, talking about the good relations between the two countries and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance that binds the two countries since 1997.
The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “the Prime Minister of Armenia requested the President of Russia to initiate urgent consultations with the aim of determining the nature and amount of assistance that the Russian Federation can provide to Armenia to ensure its security.” .
Carrie Kavanaugh, a former US ambassador, considered that direct military intervention in the conflict did not benefit Moscow.
“An intervention by the Russian or Turkish forces at this stage will lead to a great escalation of the conflict,” he told AFP.
He added that the Russian army “could withdraw its forces from its garrisons in Gyumri to ensure the security of the Armenian borders or provide assistance to refugees who fled the fighting.”
For his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said via Twitter on Saturday that he “does not want” a third country to intervene in the conflict.
“This is a battle between us and Armenia,” he added. No one should interfere. “
