The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it has recalled its ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopyrkin, for consultations as relations between the two historically allied nations continue to worsen.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Kopyrkin was "summoned to Moscow for consultations," but did not provide specific reasons for the move.

The recall follows recent remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who suggested that two member states of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) had assisted Azerbaijan in preparing for the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Although Pashinian did not name the countries, it is widely believed he was referring to Russia and Belarus.

Zakharova challenged Pashinian on May 23 to identify the countries he accused. She also defended Russia's efforts to stop the 2020 conflict, highlighting Pashinian's initial rejection of a Moscow-brokered ceasefire in October 2020, which Azerbaijan had accepted. Armenia endured further territorial losses before agreeing to another Russian-mediated truce two weeks later.

Since the 2020 war, Russian-Armenian relations have significantly deteriorated. Yerevan has been seeking closer ties with Western nations, accusing Moscow of failing to fulfill its security commitments to Armenia. Pashinian has repeatedly threatened to withdraw Armenia from the CSTO, prompting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accuse Pashinian’s administration of undermining Russian-Armenian relations under Western influence.

The rift between Russia and Armenia was a key topic of discussion during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinian on May 8, following a Eurasian Economic Union summit in Moscow.

The Armenian government has yet to respond to Russia's decision to recall its ambassador. (ILKHA)