Armenian party: West pins no hope on PM Pashinyan

Vahe Gasparyan, a member of the Council of Armenia’s National-Democratic Union has said that the West does not pin any hopes on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the team he leads.

"I am familiar with [US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs] James O'Brien's statement and I can say that it reflects the West's thinking that Russia should be pushed out of the region. To do so, it is necessary to neutralise dependence on the Russian Federation first," he said in an interview with Armenian media outlets, according to Caliber.Az.

“As for the curtsies towards Pashinian, these are political statements to gain favour with Pashinyan. The West has to work with Nikol Pashinyan for the simple reason that he is the current leader of Armenia. With these statements, an attempt is made to weaken Russia's influence in Armenia, but we remember that James O'Brien’s structure noted that there is systemic corruption in Armenia. Our Western colleagues have told us in private conversations that they do not pin any hopes on Nikol and the team he leads," Gasparyan said.