The Armenian government has begun to restrict political dialogue and inter-agency cooperation with Russia.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The economy shows one thing—the interest of people, companies, and businesses in strengthening and deepening relations. However, for some reason, the political establishment is doing the exact opposite. Russia is interested in restoring full-format cooperation and transitioning from manipulative rhetoric to legitimate interaction. From Yerevan's rhetoric, one gets the impression that the EAEU and CSTO do not include the same countries, yet the backbone of these alliances is the same," Zakharova said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry official noted that disinformation regarding the CSTO is deliberately spread by certain political forces in Armenia, and claims that the CSTO does not defend Armenia are incorrect.

"The Armenian leadership has restricted political dialogue with Russia under the pretext that the CSTO has refused to defend Armenia. Yerevan continually reduces cooperation. In contrast, Armenia has rapidly begun to move closer to the West. There is a kind of manipulation in all this."

According to her, the West is trying to exert pressure on Yerevan's foreign policy, which is confirmed by statements from Western officials about attempts to detach Armenia from Russia.

It should be noted that in 2023, trade turnover between Armenia and Russia reached $7.4 billion. In the first six months of 2024, this turnover sharply increased to $8.4 billion.

Armenia plays an exceptional role in circumventing sanctions against Russia and is acquiring significant amounts of illegal funds. Due to "criticism" of the CSTO, the U.S. and EU overlook Armenia's illegal sanction-evasion policies.

With this statement, Zakharova indirectly expressed that it is not normal for Armenia to criticize the military alliance led by Russia while profiting billions from it.