FM Mirzoyan slams Russia for interfering in Armenia’s internal affairs

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has pushed back against comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, accusing him of overstepping diplomatic bounds and interfering in Armenia's internal affairs.

At a joint press conference in Yerevan with his European Union counterpart, Kaja Kallas, Foreign Minister Mirzoyan addressed and rebutted Sergey Lavrov’s statement concerning the alleged “attacks” on the Armenian Apostolic Church, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Dismissing Lavrov’s assertion that Armenian authorities were engaged in a “struggle” against the Church, Mirzoyan said the characterization was based on “incomplete and incorrect” information.

“If I am not mistaken, Mr Lavrov used the phrase ‘struggle of the authorities against the Church’. But there is no struggle of the authorities against the Apostolic Church in Armenia,” Mirzoyan stated.

“What Mr Lavrov has in mind probably refers to the participation and interference of some Church figures in the political processes in Armenia, and according to the version of the law enforcement structures, it is an attempt to participate in a non-legal way and an attempted coup. This is a legal process and this is an internal matter of Armenia.”

In a pointed retort, Mirzoyan urged the Russian foreign minister to refrain from weighing in on Armenia’s domestic issues.

“Mr Lavrov is better not to interfere in Armenia's internal affairs and internal politics,” he said, adding that the same principle should apply to other Russian public figures. “I would like to use the occasion to address the same appeal to Lavrov's parliamentary colleagues, colleagues from the media. Russian officials, media figures should not allow themselves to interfere in Armenia's internal affairs.”

By Vafa Guliyeva