European leaders converge on Armenia as Russia looks on

European leaders converge on Armenia as Russia looks on1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRayhan DemytrieSouth Caucasus correspondent, in YerevanAFP via Getty ImagesArmenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (C) pictured with the leaders of the European Commission and European Council in JulyEuropean leaders are descending on Armenia for two unprecedented summits in a country long considered Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus.The symbolism for this country of fewer than three million people is hard to overstate; Armenia is a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Eurasian Economic Union, and Moscow hosts a military base on Armenian soil.On Monday, more than 30 European leaders and Canada's prime minister will take part in a European Political Community (EPC) summit in the capital Yerevan.Tuesday will then see the first ever bilateral EU-Armenia summit, attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.Armenia is heavily dependent on Russia for energy resources. It buys Russian gas at a preferential rate - which Putin made a point of spelling out when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Moscow on 1 April.Russia sells gas to Armenia for $177.50 (£130.30) per 1,000 cubic metres, he noted, while in Europe it costs $600 (£440.40)."The difference is large, it is significant," the Russian president said.How did a country this embedded in Russia's orbit end up hosting most of Europe's leaders?Pavel Bednyakov/POOL/AFPPashinyan with Putin at the Kremlin in April. Armenia is considered Russia's closest ally in the region.The turning point was Armenia's 2023 war with its neighbour Azerbaijan.When Azerbaijan launched a lightning military operation to complete its takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh - expelling more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians - Russia, which had peacekeepers on the ground, stood aside.Earlier Azerbaijani incursions into Armenian territ...