Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, summing up the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in India, described relations between Russia and Armenia as close, but also fraught with certain difficulties. These difficulties, according to the minister, are due to the West's attempts to "subjugate" Yerevan.

"We have relations with Armenia; these relations are close, allied, but at the same time, they are complex, given how the West is trying to subjugate Armenia, following in the footsteps of some other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and to sever Armenia's mutually beneficial economic, trade, and investment ties with its partners in the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union," Lavrov said.
He also mentioned that Armenia's interactions with the West could be a topic of discussion at the upcoming EAEU summit in Astana in May.

"I believe the upcoming summit in Kazakhstan will provide an excellent opportunity for an open and honest dialogue on emerging issues, particularly in light of the European Union's insistence on bringing Armenia into its sphere of influence, even if this means losing the benefits of membership in the EAEU," Lavrov explained.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed his decision not to attend the EAEU summit scheduled for May 28-29 in Astana, citing the need to participate in the election campaign. He also noted that there is currently no pressing need to hold a referendum on Armenia's membership in the EU or the EAEU.

Furthermore, Pashinyan previously declined to attend the military parade in Moscow on May 9, and Armenia effectively distanced itself from the CSTO military-political bloc.