DISINFO: Armenia-US-EU meeting is attempt by the West to drag the South Caucasus into a geopolitical confrontation
SUMMARY
[...T]he April 5 meeting in Brussels in the Armenia-US-EU format [is] another attempt by the collective West to drag the South Caucasus into a geopolitical confrontation.
It is obvious that the West wants to turn Armenia into an instrument for the implementation of its extremely dangerous plans in the South Caucasus. We know that Washington and Brussels - under ephemeral promises - are seeking Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO and the EAEU, the withdrawal of the Russian military base and border guards.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim accusing an allegedly aggressive West of playing a destabilising role in the Caucasus, and characterising Armenia as a puppet state of the West.
The claim was made in the context of the trilateral meeting between the EU, the US, and Armenia on April 5, 2024, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell hosted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Read here and here.
Pro-Kremlin media promote the idea that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance, and Russia has cautioned Yerevan that the West is trying to drive a wedge between Armenia and Russia.
Armenia has been a sovereign and independent state since 1991 when it proclaimed its independence from the former USSR. As a sovereign state, Armenia is free to decide its foreign policy and alliances.
"The high-level meeting is aimed at developing and deepening our existing relations and is not connected with relations with third countries. Any allegations about it being directed against anyone else are irrelevant, baseless and fictitious," this was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Armenia.
The EU Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said that the meeting has “a strictly bilateral focus” and will be on the economic resilience of Armenia and bilateral cooperation with this country, based on the CEPA between the EU and Armenia and in the context of the recently launched work on a new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda.
Answering whether the issue of Armenia's withdrawal from Russia-led alliances is necessary to strengthen relations with the EU, Stano said: "The EU is not an actor that can say: if you want to work with us, you will have to give up all other partners. We are for inclusive cooperation. If Armenia believes that some kind of cooperation with Russia is important, useful or beneficial for its interests, they can have it, provided that it does not conflict with EU policies, for example our sanctions' policy. So if you develop closer ties with the EU, it doesn't mean you need to cut ties with any other partner."
See similar cases in our database: West wants to transform Armenia in a "new Ukraine" or an "anti-Russia;" Pashinyan is a Western tool to squeeze Russia out of the South Caucasus; CIA and MI6 changed power in Armenia in order to oust Russia from the region, Brussels wants to squeeze Russia out of the Caucasus, Armenia is under Anglo-American occupation.