RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed the recent escalation of clashes in an interview on January 23 with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Armenian Service. Giragosian noted “the significant expansion of the recent clashes, in terms of both intensity and geography, noting the fighting went far beyond Nagorno Karabakh to include the Armenian-Azerbaijani border proper.” Stressing that “this latest escalation began well before this past month, but warned that unlike the past, when ceasefire violations were measured by the number of shots fired, this escalation is now dangerously defined by casualties nearly every day.”
.The interview then turned to recent developments in Armenian relations with Russia, stemming from the recent tragedy involving the murder of an entire Armenian family by a Russian soldier in Gyumri, which has “triggered a crisis in relations and has raised broader questions over the terms of Armenia’s security relationship with Russia.” Giragosian stated that “the problem is not the security relationship with Russian, but rather, the real concern is the asymmetry of the terms of that relationship, especially as Armenia demands more respect and value from Russia.” He also pointed out that “although Russia had reportedly pressured Armenia to join the Eurasian Union due to security concerns, Armenia is in fact less secure than before,” and noted the failure of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to adequately respond to the intense and increasing number of attacks on Armenia.”