Russian Ambassador: Domestic political events in Armenia did not  affect and did not change the strategic relations between the two  countries

ArmInfo. The domestic political events in Armenia did not affect and did not change the strategic relations between the two countries, Russian Ambassador to Armenia  Sergey Kopirkin told at press conference on December 18.

He noted that the events in Armenia did not lead to basic changes in  strategic relations between the two countries, as evidenced by the  intensity of communication at the highest level. Both parliamentary  cooperation and interaction between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs  are developing quite intensively, and we also continue to develop  cooperation in the cultural and educational sphere. In addition, the  Ambassador noted that trade and economic relations began to develop  more actively. "I want to emphasize that Armenia's membership in the  EAEU allowed increasing the trade turnover between our countries by  17% in the first 9 months of 2018.

Kopirkin stated that Russia is ready to assist Armenia in every  possible way in solving urgent problems and is set to deepen and  expand fraternal relations with deep historical roots. "In a rapidly  changing world, we must reach the level of relations that will be  relevant in the current realities," noted the head of the Russian  diplomatic mission.  The Ambassador also wished success to the new  parliament: "I wish the representatives of the new National Assembly  to meet the expectations of the people of Armenia."

When asked why Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate  the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, with a victory  in the parliamentary elections, Kopirkin noted: "The fact is that,  firstly, the protocol factor operates. The Interstate Protocol  operates and according to it this kind of congratulations are not  accepted. As a rule, congratulations are sent after someone's  appointment. And we do not follow at all the schedule for the  formation of power structures", the Ambassador explained. He stressed  that the essence of this situation is expressed in the comment of the  official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria  Zakharova -" Russia is set up for a constructive dialogue with  Armenia and the development of relations ".  To note, on December 9,  early parliamentary elections were held in Armenia. According to  their results, the "My step" bloc, headed by the acting Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan got 70.44% of the vote.