Destabilization of the South Caucasus: What’s behind the US-Armenia strategic partnership? - Part 1 👉 Part 2
On January 14, Armenia and the United States concluded a strategic partnership agreement during the working visit of Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, to Washington.
What does a strategic partnership imply?
The Armenian-American strategic partnership initiative was first announced in June 2024 during US Deputy Secretary of State James O’Brien’s visit to Yerevan.
Previously, the US established similar strategic partnership charters with Ukraine in 2008 and Georgia in 2009. These charters included the following principles:
▪️Defense and security collaboration, though without guaranteeing direct US military involvement in potential conflicts.
▪️Recognition of aspirations to join NATO.
In 2021, the US-Ukraine charter was updated ahead of Washington turning the Ukraine conflict into its proxy war against Russia.
The US-Georgia partnership was suspended in November 2024 after the Georgian ruling party implemented policies prioritizing national sovereignty, which diverged from US interests.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
On January 14, Armenia and the United States concluded a strategic partnership agreement during the working visit of Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, to Washington.
What does a strategic partnership imply?
The Armenian-American strategic partnership initiative was first announced in June 2024 during US Deputy Secretary of State James O’Brien’s visit to Yerevan.
Previously, the US established similar strategic partnership charters with Ukraine in 2008 and Georgia in 2009. These charters included the following principles:
▪️Defense and security collaboration, though without guaranteeing direct US military involvement in potential conflicts.
▪️Recognition of aspirations to join NATO.
In 2021, the US-Ukraine charter was updated ahead of Washington turning the Ukraine conflict into its proxy war against Russia.
The US-Georgia partnership was suspended in November 2024 after the Georgian ruling party implemented policies prioritizing national sovereignty, which diverged from US interests.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍24🥴10👌2❤1👎1💩1🌚1
Sputnik International
Destabilization of the South Caucasus: What’s behind the US-Armenia strategic partnership? - Part 1 👉 Part 2 On January 14, Armenia and the United States concluded a strategic partnership agreement during the working visit of Armenia’s Minister of Foreign…
Destabilization of the South Caucasus: What’s behind the US-Armenia strategic partnership? - Part 2 👉 Part 1
Armenia, a landlocked nation in the South Caucasus, has maintained diplomatic, economic, and military ties with the US since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Why is Armenia important to the US?
1. Military cooperation: Armenian troops have actively participated in US-NATO operations, including missions in Afghanistan and the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
2. Resources: Armenia is a mountainous country rich in mineral resources such as iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, antimony, and aluminum. Over 670 solid mineral mines are registered in the state.
3. Geostrategic location: Armenia lies along the Middle Corridor, a region of increasing strategic competition between the US and China. The Biden administration has explored creating new land routes through Armenian territory to strengthen its position in the region.
4. Substituting Georgia: The US-Armenia partnership may serve as a substitute for Washington’s waning influence in Georgia, following the suspension of its strategic partnership agreement with Tbilisi.
Is Armenia shifting to the West?
Armenia has intensified its pivot toward the West since its defeat in the 2023 conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Yerevan is now taking steps toward accession to the European Union - a questionable move considering that post-Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia, which applied earlier, have yet to gain membership.
What does Russia say?
On January 14, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that forming a strategic partnership with the US is Armenia’s "sovereign right." However, Peskov warned that the partnership could be aimed at destabilizing the South Caucasus.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Armenia, a landlocked nation in the South Caucasus, has maintained diplomatic, economic, and military ties with the US since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Why is Armenia important to the US?
1. Military cooperation: Armenian troops have actively participated in US-NATO operations, including missions in Afghanistan and the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
2. Resources: Armenia is a mountainous country rich in mineral resources such as iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, antimony, and aluminum. Over 670 solid mineral mines are registered in the state.
3. Geostrategic location: Armenia lies along the Middle Corridor, a region of increasing strategic competition between the US and China. The Biden administration has explored creating new land routes through Armenian territory to strengthen its position in the region.
4. Substituting Georgia: The US-Armenia partnership may serve as a substitute for Washington’s waning influence in Georgia, following the suspension of its strategic partnership agreement with Tbilisi.
Is Armenia shifting to the West?
Armenia has intensified its pivot toward the West since its defeat in the 2023 conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Yerevan is now taking steps toward accession to the European Union - a questionable move considering that post-Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia, which applied earlier, have yet to gain membership.
What does Russia say?
On January 14, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that forming a strategic partnership with the US is Armenia’s "sovereign right." However, Peskov warned that the partnership could be aimed at destabilizing the South Caucasus.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍33❤2🤔2👌1🌚1
Did anti-Russian sanctions become Biden’s ‘poison chalice’ for Trump?
The US is trying to muscle Russia out of the hydrocarbons market, Brussels-based analyst in international relations and Russian affairs Gilbert Doctorow tells Sputnik while commenting on Lavrov’s remarks about US efforts to take out the recently-hit gas pipeline TurkStream.
The US aims to “make the European countries as dependent as possible from their LNG and oil, so that the United States controls the supply of energy resources for the EU, therefore weakening the Union,” Prof. Stevan Gajić of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade.
The fresh batch of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, rolled out recently by the Biden administration, is meant to be a proverbial “poisoned chalice” for Trump, Doctorow explains.
Eurasian partnership and the rise of ‘macro regions’ across the globe
Russia's Eurasian partnership, which Lavrov said enables Russia to pave the way for more efficient avenues of economic exchanges, and the Eurasian integrations are “integrations of the future,” Gajic says.
According to Gajic, there are “macro regions” being formed around the world, with one example being Donald Trump’s declarations over Greenland, Canada and Panama.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
The US is trying to muscle Russia out of the hydrocarbons market, Brussels-based analyst in international relations and Russian affairs Gilbert Doctorow tells Sputnik while commenting on Lavrov’s remarks about US efforts to take out the recently-hit gas pipeline TurkStream.
The US aims to “make the European countries as dependent as possible from their LNG and oil, so that the United States controls the supply of energy resources for the EU, therefore weakening the Union,” Prof. Stevan Gajić of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade.
The fresh batch of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, rolled out recently by the Biden administration, is meant to be a proverbial “poisoned chalice” for Trump, Doctorow explains.
“The sanctions on Russia are intended to make it impossible for Trump to enter into negotiations with Russia over ending the Ukraine war and revising the security architecture in Europe,” he says.
Eurasian partnership and the rise of ‘macro regions’ across the globe
Russia's Eurasian partnership, which Lavrov said enables Russia to pave the way for more efficient avenues of economic exchanges, and the Eurasian integrations are “integrations of the future,” Gajic says.
According to Gajic, there are “macro regions” being formed around the world, with one example being Donald Trump’s declarations over Greenland, Canada and Panama.
“I think that the forming of macro regions, Pan-African integrations, pan-Eurasian integrations and Pan-American integration are the way that the world is going to at this at this moment - the grand regions are being consolidated," Gajic muses.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
❤23👍8🤔3🔥1💩1
▪️Lavrov’s press conference sheds light on Biden’s ‘poisoned chalice,’ Eurasian Partnership’s prospects and the future of Ukrainian conflict
▪️Macron willing to buy Russian oil and gas to resell to Eastern Europe at markup price – Slovak MP
▪️Destabilization of the South Caucasus: What’s behind the US-Armenia strategic partnership?
▪️How is Zelensky losing his chief source of coke coal?
▪️Jan 20th countdown: Let's all admire Biden's final blitz
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
▪️Macron willing to buy Russian oil and gas to resell to Eastern Europe at markup price – Slovak MP
▪️Destabilization of the South Caucasus: What’s behind the US-Armenia strategic partnership?
▪️How is Zelensky losing his chief source of coke coal?
▪️Jan 20th countdown: Let's all admire Biden's final blitz
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍26👌2
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
📹 Russian reconnaissance personnel destroyed a Ukrainian frontline mine depot located in the Dzerzhinsk and Novgorodsky area with a drone, the commander of a special forces unit with the call sign "Shmel" told Sputnik.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍46❤8🫡5🔥1
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🎾 Game, set, match: Australian Open YouTube channel goes virtual with 3D players instead of real stars
The official YouTube channel of the Australian Open tennis championship does not have the rights to broadcast the games live, so it will show the matches using 3D models instead of real players.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
The official YouTube channel of the Australian Open tennis championship does not have the rights to broadcast the games live, so it will show the matches using 3D models instead of real players.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🥴36💩20😁15❤2👍2
The European Union has allocated €8.5 million to "support opposition media and NGOs" in Georgia, said European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
The body wants to transfer another €7 million to the opposition for "information campaigns and the fight against disinformation."
The Europeans are also considering "further redistribution of funds" from the frozen €100 million, which they previously wanted to send to joint projects with Georgia.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🤬57💩18👎5👍3🌚3
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
📹 Russian drone operator crews destroyed a dugout with Ukrainian forces in the Kharkov region
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍48🫡8❤2🔥1
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🇮🇳 India successfully tests Nag Mark 2 anti-tank guided missile
Trials of the domestically produced third-generation anti-tank guided missile were carried out at the test site in the city of Pokhran in the Indian state of Rajasthan. During field tests, the weapon hit all targets with high accuracy.
According to Indian authorities, Nag Mark 2 is ready to be adopted by the country's armed forces.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Trials of the domestically produced third-generation anti-tank guided missile were carried out at the test site in the city of Pokhran in the Indian state of Rajasthan. During field tests, the weapon hit all targets with high accuracy.
According to Indian authorities, Nag Mark 2 is ready to be adopted by the country's armed forces.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍41🔥11💩8👌6❤1
The Houthis, said that it struck a power station in the southern Israeli port city of Eilat with a cruise missile.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
"The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, carried out a military operation targeting the power station of the Israeli enemy in Umm al-Rashrash area in the south of occupied Palestine with a winged missile," the statement said.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
❤65👍7👌4🤔2💩2🫡2
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
For the first time in South Korea's history, investigators have arrested a suspended but current president, Yonhap reports.
According to the agency, the car that Yoon Suk Yeol is believed to be in left his residence accompanied by an escort.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
According to the agency, the car that Yoon Suk Yeol is believed to be in left his residence accompanied by an escort.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍40👌7❤2🔥1
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has given an interview to NBС. Here are the key statements:
"Naturally enough, we will react to any action. We do not fear war, but we do not seek it," the president said, commenting on Tehran's response to a possible US-Israeli attack aimed at halting the Iranian nuclear program
◾️Iran does not seek to build nuclear weapons
"We do not seek to create nuclear weapons. However, we are accused of creating a bomb."
“We upheld all the commitments that we had to commit to,” he said when asked about Iran's talks with major powers about its nuclear program. “But unfortunately, it was the other party that did not live up to its promises and obligations.”
◾️Iranian President hopes that Trump will promote peace in the Middle East
"I do hope that Trump will promote peace in the region and the world, and not contribute to bloodshed and war."
◾️Iran has never tried to assassinate US President-elect Donald Trump
"This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. ... Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know."
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍48🤔6🫡5❤4
Sputnik International
For the first time in South Korea's history, investigators have arrested a suspended but current president, Yonhap reports. According to the agency, the car that Yoon Suk Yeol is believed to be in left his residence accompanied by an escort. 📌 Subscribe to…
President Yoon Suk-yeol described his recent appearance for questioning as a "voluntary" decision aimed at preventing violence, according to Yonhap News Agency.
He explained that investigators had attempted to breach the guarded area of his residence using "firefighter equipment," prompting his decision to cooperate.
Yoon, who has been impeached, reaffirmed his dedication to upholding the Constitution and legal system of South Korea while rejecting the validity of the investigative process.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
"In order to stop unwanted bloodshed, I made the decision to appear in the prosecutor's office despite the illegality of these actions," Yoon stated.
He explained that investigators had attempted to breach the guarded area of his residence using "firefighter equipment," prompting his decision to cooperate.
Yoon, who has been impeached, reaffirmed his dedication to upholding the Constitution and legal system of South Korea while rejecting the validity of the investigative process.
"My consent to participate in that illegal and invalid process does not constitute its acceptance," he said, framing his actions as a step to prevent violence.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍22😁15💩6
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
'Bloody Blinken, Secretary of Genocide'
A protester interrupted Anthony Blinken's speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
A protester interrupted Anthony Blinken's speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.
"You have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands [...] The blood of innocent civilians, of children, is on your hands. We will not forget," the woman shouted.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍72👌8🫡7❤3
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🤯'I gotta fill this in?' - Biden forgot how to fill out official documents
US President Joe Biden, declaring two sites in California national monuments, was surprised that there was a date column in the document.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
US President Joe Biden, declaring two sites in California national monuments, was surprised that there was a date column in the document.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
😁42💩18👍2🤔1🥴1
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍51👌6🫡4❤2
Sputnik International
"The Russian side welcomed Vietnam's active participation in BRICS events in 2024 and expressed its readiness to facilitate its accession to this association as a partner country," stated the joint communique issued after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Vietnam on Wednesday.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍52❤14
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
The Ukrainian military is forced to raise money to provide themselves with even gas and gasoline, said a captured Ukrainian border guard.
He noted that the Ukrainian forces are very demoralized by the state of affairs and see it as a manifestation of great corruption at the state level, which has become oblivious to the needs of the army.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
He noted that the Ukrainian forces are very demoralized by the state of affairs and see it as a manifestation of great corruption at the state level, which has become oblivious to the needs of the army.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
😁32💩5👍4❤2
❗️Ukrainian military intelligence service promised Russian troops $1 million for leaving positions in Gorlovka in the DPR; counterintelligence thwarted these plans, Russia’s Federal Security Service informed.
$100 thousand was received as upfront from the General Staff of Ukraine, and during the operational activities, the areas of concentration of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were uncovered.
As a result, the Russian military attacked the identified routes of the Ukrainian troops, who suffered serious losses.
The money received was used to purchase logistical equipment in the interests of the units involved in the special military operation, the FSB emphasized.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
$100 thousand was received as upfront from the General Staff of Ukraine, and during the operational activities, the areas of concentration of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were uncovered.
As a result, the Russian military attacked the identified routes of the Ukrainian troops, who suffered serious losses.
The money received was used to purchase logistical equipment in the interests of the units involved in the special military operation, the FSB emphasized.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
😁58👍10❤6👌1
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
😁16👍9
Sputnik International
🇷🇺🇻🇳 The results of Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Vietnam:
👉 Russia is ready to join the creation of Vietnam's national nuclear power industry.
👉 Russia is ready to supply oil, LNG, and refined products to Vietnam and develop new energy projects.
👉 Russia and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen bilateral trade and increase the supply of products to each other's markets.
👉 Moscow and Hanoi have agreed to develop freight transportation, including that of rail and sea.
👉 Russia is ready to help Vietnam join BRICS as a partner country.
👉 The parties agreed to continue close cooperation on leading business platforms in Asia.
📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👍46❤10