Former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan has called for Russia’s continued geopolitical presence in the South Caucasus, arguing that it remains essential for Armenia’s security and stability.
Ter-Petrosyan made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin at his home in Yerevan. According to his office, their discussion focused on the state of Russian-Armenian relations and what he described as “the imperative of establishing lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus.”
“The first president considered it necessary to emphasize the following: Russia’s presence in the Transcaucasus is an urgent necessity and a reality confirmed by history,” his office said in a brief statement. It added that Armenia’s “honest and reliable friends” include Russia, Iran, Georgia, France, Greece, and—soon—China and India.
Notably absent from Ter-Petrosyan’s list was the United States, whose President Donald Trump brokered agreements last month between Armenia and Azerbaijan, claiming they had ended the long-running conflict between the two neighbors.
While Ter-Petrosyan has yet to fully endorse or reject those agreements—which include plans for a U.S.-administered transit corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave—senior members of his Armenian National Congress (HAK) party have been openly critical. They argue that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s concessions to Baku will not deliver a lasting peace.
HAK leaders, like much of the Armenian opposition, have also condemned Pashinyan’s pro-Western foreign policy, which they say has further strained relations with Moscow while failing to secure meaningful security guarantees from the West.
Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first in-person talks in nearly a year on August 31 in China. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the discussions as “very good” but declined to share details.
Earlier this year, Pashinyan suspended Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), accusing the alliance of failing to meet its obligations. He has also suggested that Armenia may eventually face a choice between continued participation in the Eurasian Economic Union and formally applying to join the European Union.
