Putin is exposed twice by an ally in a very short space of time
Created: 2022-11-27 04:51
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan does not seem to have a good relationship with Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin at the moment.
© Twitter/Screenshot/@b_nishanov
Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan are actually considered allies.
However, the last OVKS summit gave rise to doubts – twice.
Munich – Russia and Armenia actually have close ties, particularly in terms of cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a defense alliance of former Soviet states.
But at the most recent meeting in Yerevan on Wednesday (November 23), a rift between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin suddenly became apparent.
Putin exposed at the CSTO summit - Pashinyan does not sign the final declaration
The reason may be Pashinyan's dissatisfaction with the alliance, of which Russia is undoubtedly the strongest member.
In the course of the 44-day war with Azerbaijan over Karabakh, there was no military reaction from the CSTO to support Armenia.
Meanwhile, Turkey supports historical ally Azerbaijan in every possible way.
The result: Azerbaijan conquered almost all of Karabakh.
Baku spoke of the end of a 30-year "occupation".
There are still intermittent clashes in the region.
According to the Reuters news agency, Pashinyan complained at the summit about the lack of deterrence in Azerbaijan and described it as "depressing".
The fact that no agreement has yet been reached against the "Azerbaijani aggression" harms the image of the alliance.
It wasn't just complaints.
At the end of the meeting, Pashinyan did not sign the final statement.
The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who was also present, then gave Putin an irritated look, as a video by the Eastern European news portal
Nexta
on Twitter shows - after all, an unexpected, cold shower for the Kremlin boss.
"I close the meeting, thank you very much," Pashinyan is said to have refused to sign.
Putin isolated at CSTO family photo - Pashinyan moves away from him
Not only that: in the family photo in the run-up to the summit, Pashinyan distanced himself from Putin – literally.
A video by Russian state TV channel Tass shows the Armenian prime minister moving towards the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and moving away from Putin.
A gap also formed on the other side, albeit smaller.
The Russian ruler seemed isolated - not a good sign for him amid the difficult military situation for Russia in the Ukraine war.
After Putin was exposed twice, he still met with Pashinyan.
The work at the summit was "intensive and useful," Putin said, according to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
However, he also conceded: "It is rarely possible to reach agreement on all issues."
(bb)
