"Who should Armenia ask questions about security?" Armenian media dissatisfied with statement of Russian embassy in Yerevan

The Russian embassy in Armenia has issued a statement today in which it sharply condemned the rumours and comments which went viral in Armenia that Russian agencies were involved in the explosion in the Surmalu shopping centre in Yerevan city.

This statement aroused anger among the Armenian media outlets, in particular, the Lragir news website, according to Caliber.Az.

So, political analyst of the Lragir news website Naira Hayrumyan wrote an article entitled "Strange statement of the Russian embassy in Armenia".

"We are outraged by the cynical information, containing false accusations of Russian agencies' involvement in the tragedy which occurred on the territory of the Surmalu shopping centre on August 14, 2022. We regard this as a direct provocation by the political forces behind such insinuations, aimed at undermining Russia-Armenia allied relations. We expect steps from the Armenian authorities aimed at suppressing such unfriendly actions, including the necessary public comments. The corresponding note was sent by the embassy to the Armenian Foreign Ministry," the statement by the Russian embassy in Armenia says.

"This is a strange statement. The Armenian authorities do not disclose the reasons for the explosion in the shopping centre, saying that the investigative bodies will find out the reasons. While stating about 'non-involvement' in the explosion in Surmalu, the Russian embassy exposes internal fears. Firstly, they are connected with the fact that Armenia has more questions to Russia, and society can hardly hide grumbling and irritation with the policy of the 'ally'. After the events in Parukh (Farrukh), in Berdzor (Lachin) and Aghavno (Zabukh), this attitude has greatly changed. The embassy's internal polls show a change in sentiment in Armenia, and Russia is trying to forestall possible developments by returning to the old paradigm of 'defending Armenia's security'," Hayrumyan writes.

She emphasises that on the day of the explosion in Yerevan, Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan left for Moscow, he attended an arms exhibition, and had to voice a few words about the "necessity of the Russian military presence in the region", but did not say publicly how Russia intends to fulfil its contractual obligations to "guarantee Armenia's security".

"After the war in 2020, post-war incursions, Russia's refusal to condemn these incursions, let alone intervention, after the myth of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Russian salvation was debunked, while the myth of Russian weapons power disappeared amid High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in Ukraine, Armenia still remains committed to the agreement with Russia, according to which Moscow is the guarantor of Armenia's security.

"Whom should Armenia ask security questions? Who is the Russian embassy complaining about now?" Hayrumyan writes.