Armenian PM Pashinyan's coronavirus test returns positive again

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that his recent coronavirus test has come back positive once again.

"My coronavirus test is positive again. I will continue working with restrictions until I recover," Pashinyan wrote on his Telegram channel, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

On December 23, Pashinyan first tested positive for COVID-19 and subsequently self-isolated, continuing his work remotely. While his test came back negative on December 25, he decided not to attend the informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg, despite his recovery. He also stated that he would decide by the end of the day whether to participate in the upcoming EAEU summit on December 26.

The Kremlin confirmed that due to his positive COVID-19 test, Pashinyan would be unable to attend the informal CIS summit in person but would still be able to join the EAEU summit via video link.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov shared the news during a briefing, noting that Pashinyan had informed the Kremlin in advance about his diagnosis, which led him to self-isolate.

"Unfortunately, Prime Minister Pashinyan will not be able to attend the informal CIS summit in person due to a positive COVID-19 test. However, we hope he will be able to join the EAEU summit via video link," Peskov said, adding, "Armenia is a very important participant in the organisation," emphasizing the significance of Armenia's role in the Eurasian Economic Union.

The informal CIS summit, which began on December 25, is being hosted at the Igora resort complex near St. Petersburg. Attendees include the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

By Tamilla Hasanova