Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan addressed talks of a hybrid war by Russia against Armenia, noting that Russia’s levers of influence over Armenia are clear.
“We accept that the U.S. can implement such policies (like tariff hikes), but we don’t even imagine that Russia might do the same, because it’s behaved in a way that we never considered it possible. But Russia’s tools for pressuring us through such policies are quite real.
If it targets agriculture, that’s a problem, since our agricultural products have no other market than Russia. Just imagine if Russia takes such a step as part of a hybrid war,” he said, as reported by Radar Armenia.
Kocharyan stressed that U.S. President Trump never cared about how Mexicans or Canadians felt when he threatened to raise tariffs.
“He uses whatever leverage he has,” he said.
The former president added that many of Armenia’s major taxpayers operate by engaging with the Russian market, earning income through those ties.
“They could easily block access to Russia for those companies. Understand the situation clearly. If they try something like that, I’ll be the first to ask, using my contacts, that they don’t. But I also pragmatically understand the level of influence they can exert,” Kocharyan noted.
Speaking about Armenia’s relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Kocharyan said he too is somewhat disappointed in the alliance.
“There’s no issue with engaging with the CSTO. I also have a degree of disappointment with the CSTO,” he said, according to Aysor.am .
He explained that aside from Russia, all other CSTO member states maintain closer relations with Azerbaijan than with Armenia, which he sees as a serious concern.
“In reality, all CSTO member countries, except Russia, have better relations with Azerbaijan than with Armenia. That’s a problem for us,” he emphasized.
Kocharyan also remarked that Armenia has not only failed to avoid mistakes, but also contributed to the deterioration of its ties with the CSTO.
“What have we done to avoid damaging our relationship with the CSTO? On the contrary, we’ve done everything to bring about this situation. You’ve done all you could to ensure you’re treated badly,” he said.
In February 2024, Armenia announced it had frozen participation in the CSTO. On April 12, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia could leave the alliance unless it clearly defines its area of responsibility within Armenia. In response, the CSTO stated its zone of responsibility covers Armenia’s sovereign territory.
On May 8, Armenia’s foreign ministry said it would stop contributing financially to the CSTO. On June 14, Pashinyan told parliament that exiting the organization could be the next logical step. On September 18, he added that Armenia–CSTO relations had reached an irreversible stage, stressing that the alliance posed threats to Armenia’s sovereignty. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov countered that the CSTO is meant to protect, not threaten, member states’ sovereignty.
