By Dmitry Antonov and Lucy Papachristou
MOSCOW, May 28 (Reuters) – Russia sharply criticised Armenia on Thursday for drawing closer to the EU, saying it was not pursuing a balanced position towards Moscow and was cooperating with European nations wishing Russia harm.
Moscow is dialling up pressure on the South Caucasus country ahead of a June 7 parliamentary vote pitting the ruling Civil Contract party, which is building closer ties to the West, against an array of opposition groups, several of them pro-Russian.
Recent polls show Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party in the lead with roughly 30% support.
Moscow in recent days has expressed its displeasure at the increasingly warm relationship between Armenia and the West forged by Pashinyan, who is seeking a third term in office.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow continued to view Armenia as its “natural partner” and its people as “brothers and sisters”, but also questioned other partnerships the country was cultivating, namely with the EU.
“These very same Western capitals have declared a veritable hybrid war on Russia and are publicly framing this as inflicting a strategic defeat on our country,” Zakharova told reporters at a weekly briefing.
“Russia has never been opposed to Armenia diversifying its external relations, but the current approach of the Armenian authorities can hardly be described as such; indeed, it can hardly be called balanced at all.”
RESTRICTIONS ON ARMENIAN GOODS
On Thursday, Russia’s agricultural safety agency Rosselkhoznadzor said it would introduce additional temporary bans on Armenian tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy vegetables and strawberries, to take effect on Saturday.
Russia threatened on Wednesday to suspend or terminate the supply of cheap oil, gas and rough diamonds to Armenia, which is a member of a Russian-led economic union, if the government pressed ahead with its bid to join the EU.
A landlocked nation of around 3 million people, Armenia hosts Russian military bases and is heavily dependent on Moscow for energy. It imported 82% of its gas from Russia last year.
The restrictions announced on Thursday follow similar temporary bans introduced by Russia this week against Armenian flowers, mineral water and brandy.
Rosselkhoznadzor said it had decided to impose the bans after inspection visits conducted by its agents at Armenian agricultural enterprises this week.
“The decision was taken in response to the increasing number of violations in the supply of Armenian fruit and vegetable products to Russia and to ensure phytosanitary safety,” Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov and Reuters in Moscow; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Toby Chopra)
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