While Azerbaijan is supported by Türkiye and Israel, Armenia has chosen the side of Iran and Russia, which, given their current role in the international arena, can seriously undermine its relations with Europe, reported from an article at Euroactiv.

The article asks whether Armenia can move away from this influence: "Israel's sworn enemy, Iran that has been trying for many years to dictate its rules in the South Caucasus has increased support for Armenia, which has a strategic and energy agreement with Russia. On its part, Russia has a long history of influence over Armenia."

The article quotes Elchin Amirbayov, assistant to the first vice president of Azerbaijan, as saying it will be very difficult for Armenia to distance itself from Moscow: "Moscow has bases in Armenia. Most of Armenia's borders are guarded by the FSB, and 75% of the Armenian economy belongs to Russian companies. It will be difficult to distance from Moscow."

While Armenia always voted in the UN in support of Russia, including in 2014 after the illegal annexation of Crimea, Azerbaijan always sought to maintain its freedom. Azerbaijan became the first country in the Caucasus to provide assistance to Ukraine after the start of the war in 2022. On February 26, 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Azerbaijani authorities for instructing the SOCAR gas station network in Ukraine to provide the country's ambulances with fuel for free. Azerbaijan also supplied medicines to Ukraine.

"So, the close relations between Armenia and Iran, as well as Russia, create a serious problem for Yerevan's loyalty to Europe. But, despite this, French President Emmanuel Macron actively supports Armenia, while never condemning Yerevan's ties with Tehran and Moscow," the article says.

www.anews.az