NATO seeks to admit Armenia?

Chairman of the European Commission on NATO Enlargement Gunther Fehlinger recently called on Armenia to consider becoming part of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Next, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan replied that Armenia has been actively cooperating with NATO in various forms and is ready to continue this process.

However, on September 13, NATO's official representative told Russia's Izvestia newspaper that Armenia has not yet submitted an official application to join the US-led military alliance.

"NATO is not currently considering expanding the bloc to include Armenia, while Yerevan has not yet applied to join," said Daniele Riggio, a NATO spokesman.

Responding to the issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko described statements about the need for Armenia to join NATO as “great fantasies”.

“Armenia remains a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and we will continue to strengthen military and political cooperation,” Grushko told Russian news agency TASS.

“These are our allies and we rely on each other in the security sphere. I am convinced that this sphere will be a decisive factor in our bilateral relations for many years to come,” the Russian diplomat noted.

For his part, Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government, said that at present there are no real conditions for Armenia to leave the Moscow-led CSTO and apply for NATO membership.

“First of all, this means that relations with Russia will become more serious. Secondly, this is a process that will begin to change the security structure in the South Caucasus region,” Denisov said in an interview with Izvestia.

Speaking about the possibility of Armenia joining NATO, the expert recalled that Türkiye, Azerbaijan's key partner and ally, which remains one of the member states, would likely object. That said, leaving the CSTO does not theoretically mean automatic acceptance into NATO.

“In NATO, many countries will have to think about the feasibility of accepting a country like Armenia into the organization,” Mr. Denisov commented.

Earlier this week, Russia expressed concern over Armenia's plans to conduct joint military exercises "Eagle Partner 2023" with the United States from September 11 to 20, with many interpreting the exercise as the latest sign that the former Soviet republic is distancing itself from Moscow.

Speaking to reporters, Russian President Dmitry Peskov's spokesman said that Armenia's plans to hold a joint military exercise with the US were "alarming" and that the Kremlin would analyze and closely monitor the situation.

In recent times, Armenia has expressed dissatisfaction with the Russian peacekeeping force, especially its alleged failure to ensure unrestricted access along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorny-Karabakh.

Nagorny-Karabakh is a region that has seen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, leading to a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 2020.

The Armenian government claims that Azerbaijan has blocked access to the corridor and imposed a blockade on Nagorny-Karabakh, leading to a humanitarian crisis in areas inhabited by Armenians.