While advocating for a constitutional solution to the current situation in Armenia, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has thus far stayed out of the events in Armenia, which saw the resignation of prime minister Serzh Sarkisian, signaled that he would like whatever the outcome of the political standoff to reflect the results of the April 2017 parliamentary elections that gave Sarkisian and his Republican Party of Armenia a majority.
“It was emphasized that the resolution of the crisis situation in Armenia must happen in the solely legal field, within the framework of the current constitution, and on the basis of the results of the legitimate parliamentary elections held in April 2017,” the Kremlin said in a readout of a telephone conversation between Putin and Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on Thursday.
Kareptyan’s Republican Party of Armenia is under increasing pressure to cede control of the country to opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan who has helmed the popular protests that have essentially transformed the country.
Putin went on to underscore “the importance of the election by the parliament of the republic’s prime minister scheduled for May 1, 2018.”
Karapetyan was not the only Republican Party of Armenia leader to turn to Moscow for its input. Armenia’s acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan flew to the Russian capital Thursday and held closed door meetings with officials.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Nalbandian met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, saying the two ministers “discussed, in particular, the situation on the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.” The Artsakh Defense Ministry earlier this week warned of Azerbaijani military buildup on the Artsakh-Azrbaijan border, also known as the line of contact.
A statement by the Armenian government said that Gevorgyan met with top Kremlin officials to discuss, among other things, “the internal political situation in Armenia.”
Pashinyan told his supporters during a rally on Wednesday that he met with top Russian officials, who he claimed assured him that there would be no official Kremlin intervention in the processes in Armenia.
But of course! Putin gets what Putin wants!
Anything less than a snap election of Parliament will be considered a closed door meeting sham. This will finally test whether Armenia is truly an independent state or simply a Russian Oblast puppet.
I trust Russians more than I trust Armenians
Putin, leave landlocked Armenia alone, they are not harming your adventurism. Armenians want to live in their country, free of foreign rule. A neutral country in Caucasus!
Putin has nothing to do with this, go after Turkey, Azerbaijan, Israel, the list of the enemies of Armenia is too long…
Putin should keep his nose out of the Armenians’ business and future.
The rigged elections of 2017 was sponsored and backed by Russian thugs like Putin when the Republicans were in full control. No more!
Russia is not. a friend of the Armenians because they have always preferred the murderous Turkish regimes over the welfare of the Armenians. Even though the Turks have repeatedly backstabbed the Russians since 1914.
Go figure!
Why not US, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Israel……?, why would Russia be friends with untrustworthy Armenia, which they always bash Russia and the West that most Western countries have not yet recognized the Genocide people stupidly keep defending them, if I was Putin’s place I would screw the Armenian for generations to come, and see who’s going to come and help Armenia. NOW that Russia is in the driver’s seat, instead of Armenians benefiting from it’s special relations with Russia is taking the path of self destruction. ANKHELK JOGHOVURT.
The fact Nalbandyan and Karapetyan are frantically looking for Putin’s help shows they have totally lost support within their country, Armenia. In other words, they are political corpses, as Serzh was before his resignation. This is political myopia. They are following Srezh’s path, ending with either resignation or removal under popular pressure. Many think “Putin gets what Putin wants.” This is exaggeration. What Putin has achieved as a result of his policies is total isolation from the progressive world. I don’t think this is what he wanted. He now looks to the Asian and Turkic world, as the West has turned its back to him. The country’s economy has suffered badly, no matter how the official Russia tries to hide it. There is no way Putin can go against the will of the Armenian people. The situation is totally different now. Of course he can cause problems after the new government is established, but I don’t see a good reason why he would do that, given the fact Armenia is not going to cut the ties with Russia, which is not only illogical but nearly impossible. So, the most likely scenario is that the old and corrupt system will be replaced by the fresh and democratic forces and New Armenia will start building a free and progressive state maintaining good relationship with Russia.
…. Armenia will start building a free and progressive state maintaining good relationship with Russia…… Wishful thinking, if corruption was the reason, corruption will not be eliminated by coming Pashinian, people should go and check world corruption ranking before acting stupidly in the hands of the enemies of Armenia risking Armenia’s future http://www.worldaudit.org/corruption.htm
Raffi, a negative minded person like you should live outside of Armenia! Why we can not be the level of Georgia, Armenia’s northern country in ranking, where Armenia’s corrupted oligarchs invested there heavily!