Moscow [Russia], May 9: The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 8 after months of tension.
"Our bilateral relations are developing quite successfully," President Putin told Prime Minister Pashinyan, in a video released by the Kremlin, according to AFP.
The talks took place when Mr. Pashinyan visited Moscow within the framework of the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union. Mr. Putin also said that "we are always interested in economic cooperation above all", not mentioning tensions.
The talks were held 5 months after Armenia joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), leading to Yerevan being responsible for arresting Mr. Putin according to the ICC's order if the Russian leader set foot on Armenian territory.
Prime Minister Pashinyan has for months made increasingly critical comments about Armenia's relationship with Russia. This was his first time in Moscow after tensions became apparent. Moscow has accused Yerevan of trying to break up the decades-long partnership between the two sides.
Armenia boycotted the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit at the end of 2023 because, according to Prime Minister Pashinyan, the CSTO did not fulfill its security obligations, according to AFP .
Armenia, a traditional ally of Russia, has for months criticized its existing relationship with Moscow, and was angry that Russian peacekeepers did not intervene in Azerbaijan 's offensive to capture Russia. Return to Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023.
However, Prime Minister Pashinyan said on May 7 that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan could be signed before November, according to Reuters citing information from Russian state news agency RIA.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper