Yerevan assures: No crisis in relations with Russia

ArmInfo.  Armenian officials unanimously affirm: there is no crisis in Armenian-Russian relations.  Speaking to journalists at Victory Park in Yerevan, Armenian Deputy  Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan touched upon the bilateral  relationship, noting its long history. He added that there are  currently certain problems and specific  issues in the relationship.  "We are discussing these matters with our Russian partners. I  wouldn't call them a crisis," Safaryan said, adding it is a "natural  process" for questions to arise between two parties. 

Addressing the recent summon of Armenia's Ambassador to the Russian  Foreign Ministry sparked by Vladimir Zelensky's remarks in Yerevan,  Safaryan confirmed that a formal diplomatic note had been issued. He  noted that the Armenian side would disclose the contents of the note  only if it deemed such a move appropriate.

Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, also  admitted that while friction may exist at certain points, there is no  "systemic crisis" with Russia. "When looking at the full spectrum of  interstate ties as a whole, it is premature to speak of a deep rift  or a fatal crisis, despite the ongoing discussions," Grigoryan said. 

Commenting on criticism from Moscow regarding the platform provided  to Vladimir Zelensky during the European Political Community summit,  Grigoryan emphasized that Armenia was simply adhering to the  established international format of the event. "I see no issue with  hosting an international event in Yerevan and following all the  resulting protocol procedures," he said.

Grigoryan also assured that he was unaware of any threats made by  Zelensky against Moscow while in Yerevan. He remarked that the  priority remains Armenia's official stance and statements, rather  than monitoring the remarks of every individual guest.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his speech  at the 8th European Political Community Summit in Yerevan, threatened  Russia with an attack on Moscow during the Victory Day Parade on May  9. He urged foreign leaders to avoid attending the parade. During a  briefing on May 7, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria  Zakharova stated that Russia would not forget Yerevan's silence  amidst Zelenskyy's "terrorist statements" against Moscow. Moreover,  on the same day, Armenian Ambassador to Russia Gurgen Arsenyan was  summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where a protest was  delivered to him.