Armenia's prime minister announced on Tuesday that his country would not host military drills for a Russian-led alliance in 2023, as tensions grow with Moscow over its support in a long-standing conflict with Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a news conference that hosting the military exercise planned for the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization later this year was "inappropriate in the current situation."

The CSTO is an intergovernmental military alliance between Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It holds military drills annually, hosted by one of its members.

Why is Armenia at odds with Moscow?

This year, Armenia was due to host the drills, amid strained relations with Russia. Last November, Pashinyan refused to sign the CSTO conclusive document, for what it said was a lack of a clear stance on potential Azerbaijani "aggression."

Long-contested since a separatist war ended in 1994, the Nagorno-Karabakh region has fueled fighting between neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region lies within Turkey-backed Azerbaijan but has been under the control of Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian forces since 1994.

In 2020, a six-week war brought areas of the region under Azerbaijan's control and ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal. Russia has also deployed peacekeepers in the region as a result.

Yet, since its war on Ukraine in February 2022, analysts say Moscow has been distracted from its strategic role in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The sanctions imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine have also forced it to grow closer to Turkey, a key Azerbaijani ally.

Asked for a response to Yerevan's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down talk of a possible rift, saying Armenia remained "our very close ally."

"We will continue the dialogue. Including on those issues that are now very complex," Peskov said.

Did Moscow break away from its alliance with Armenia?

During the Tuesday press conference, Pashinyan hinted that Moscow had let his country down.

"Armenia expected concrete actions from its Russian partners and other partners in the field of security," Pashinyan said.

He was specifically referring to May 2021, when Armenia accused Azerbaijan of moving forces into its territory and therefore violating its territorial integrity.

Pashinyan also referenced another Azerbaijani provocation. On December 12, Azerbaijanis calling themselves environmental activists blocked the Lachin corridor, which links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. The activists demanded access to what Baku claimed were unlawful mining sites in the disputed region. The Azeri blockade is ongoing.

Armenian authorities accused Azerbaijan of attempting to extend its control over the region, calling on Russian peacekeepers to unblock the road. Both Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh officials warned of a humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade.

"Russia's military presence in Armenia not only fails to guarantee its security, but it raises security threats for Armenia,'' Pashinyan said on Tuesday.

He called on Russia to initiate a multinational mission via the UN Security Council if it is unable to ensure the security of the Armenian people.

rmt/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)