Armenia has no intention of acting against Russia, top lawmaker says

Armenia has no intention to take any steps against Russia, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Simonyan stressed that Armenia remains interested in maintaining relations with Russia and that there is no alternative understanding of this issue in the country, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“Armenia is interested in ties with Russia, and there is no other perception in Armenia. At the same time, for understandable reasons, from the first days after the end of the war we have been trying to stabilise the situation in our region, and in my assessment we have been doing this quite successfully,” Simonyan said.

According to him, Yerevan and Baku have made significant progress in this direction, and the actual signing of a peace treaty is expected in the near future, which is important for the future of both countries.

“I do not want there to be an impression here in Russia that Armenia is trying to do something against the Russian Federation, a friendly allied state, despite the fact that there are issues that need to be discussed,” Simonyan noted.

He pointed out that Lavrov himself, together with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, is discussing these issues, as are the leaders of the two countries.

Simonyan said there is no “with us or against us” perception in Armenia. “We believe this approach is wrong — wrong for Armenia and for everything we have with Russia,” he emphasised.

He also addressed the issue of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). According to Simonyan, Armenia’s position is well known, but Yerevan has still not received answers to its questions. He also expressed concern about rhetoric toward Armenia that is frequently heard in the public space.

“This concerns not only us, but Armenian society as a whole. I shared my understanding of this issue with the ambassador. Armenian society reacts very negatively to statements coming from Moscow,"  Simonyan said, adding that such reactions arise because Russia is important for Armenia as it was and it remains an ally. "That is why such statements are perceived so painfully."

By Khagan Isayev