DISINFO: West opposes peace in the Caucasus
SUMMARY
By sending observers to Armenia, the West, especially France, aimed to slow down peace and undermine the peace agreement that will be signed anyway. The Armenian minister is silent about the agreements reached at three-way meetings between Russia and Armenia. This once again proves that the Armenian political elite are not interested in signing a peace treaty, and they prefer to play the fiddle played by the West. Nikol Pashinyan was allowed to apply for EU membership in the face of undermining peace.
RESPONSE
This unfounded and recurring claim by pro-Kremlin media accuses the supposedly ever-aggressive West, with France singled out in this case, of playing a destabilising role in the Caucasus.
Pro-Kremlin outlets promote the idea that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance and attempt to discredit any other efforts of mediation in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This article even claims that Western countries make the situation worse and want to undermine efforts to find a peaceful agreement.
In fact, Western countries have made several attempts to advance a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In the European Council of 26-27 October 2023, EU leaders underlined their continued support for a sustainable and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on the principles of recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. The EU High Representative Josep Borrell called for the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and on the work done by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The EU has taken on a prominent mediation role in the negotiations. The US stated that it is ready to engage bilaterally, with like-minded partners, to facilitate dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
See our article examining pro-Kremlin claims during the first year of the EU Mission in Armenia.
See other similar cases: The West is trying to prevent normalisation between Armenia and Azerbaijan; US and EU oppress Russia's legitimate interests in the South Caucasus; The EU is not interested in peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan; Western countries intended to provoke a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia; the West seeks to turn the South Caucasus into an arena of geopolitical confrontation.