Russia says ties with Armenia close to collapse amid NATO push, “France gathering intel in Caucasus”

Russia-Armenia tensions once again came to the fore as Moscow accused Yerevan of pushing bilateral relations to the brink. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 27, “The current situation with respect to Armenia does not inspire optimism.” Lavrov accused the Armenian leadership of trying to “sabotage” increasingly tense relations between the two ex-Soviet countries. The Russian diplomat also said that the EU mission in Armenia is gradually becoming a NATO mission.