EU, US pledge $355 million to Westernize Armenia amid Russia tensions

The European Union has pledged to provide Armenia with a financial aid package worth $290 million, an initiative aimed at boosting ties with Yerevan as the country’s relationship with Russia deteriorates.

A statement was made following Friday discussions between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels focused on enhancing collaboration.

Von der Leyen said the four-year “resilience and growth” package of financial grants for Armenia showed the EU stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Yerevan.

“Europe and Armenia share a long and common history and the time has come to write now a new chapter,” she said.

The meeting comes as the land-locked West Asian country that was once a part of the Soviet Union seeks to strengthen its economic ties with Western nations as it gradually distances itself from its long-standing ally, Russia.

Azerbaijan criticized the Brussels meeting and accused Armenia of opening fire at the Caucasus arch-foe neighbors’ volatile border.

Yerevan has expressed its dissatisfaction with Moscow for its inability to prevent neighboring Azerbaijan from reclaiming territory in recent times.

Armenia has effectively put its membership in the Russian-led CSTO military alliance on hold while it has extended an invitation for US troops to conduct training in the nation, provided aid to Ukraine, and hinted at the possibility of seeking EU membership.

Von der Leyen praised “the measures that Armenia has taken against the circumvention of our sanctions against Russia". 

Pashinyan emphasized that Friday’s meeting demonstrated the growth of his country’s collaboration with the EU and the United States.

Blinken also said that the US is increasing its financial support to Yerevan, granting $65 million this year, with the objective of aiding Armenia in its efforts to develop into a strong and independent country, promoting harmonious relationships with its neighboring nations.

Geopolitical experts say that the West is supporting Armenia so that it can pull the country out of Russia’s orbit. 

President Ilham Aliyev on Friday criticized the summit in Brussels as "directed against Azerbaijan" and working against cooperation in the region.

"High-ranking US and EU officials attempted to convince us that the meeting in Brussels is not directed against Azerbaijan, but it creates yet another source of tensions in the South Caucasus," he said.

Turkey, Azerbaijan's main backer, warned that Armenia's talks with the US and EU "undermine the neutral approach that should be the basis for the solution of the complex problems of the region".

"This initiative, which excludes Azerbaijan, will pave the way for the South Caucasus to become an area of geopolitical confrontation, rather than serving peace," Turkey's foreign ministry said. 

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