Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, wrote in his Facebook page:
“No matter how much the authorities try to concentrate citizens’ attention on internal political processes and make efforts to undermine the political field, the security zone around Armenia and Artsakh is becoming more tense as a result of the negligent policy. Putting the legal aspect of the criminal case against Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov aside, it is evident that the way and manner in which the process was implemented damaged the CSTO reputation. By the way, these risks were evident from the beginning of the process. The official response of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the way it was delivered were not pleasant either.
In an interview with Al Jazeera (issued on July 27), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan repeated the his accusation against the Russian side for organising a provocation. In her interview with the Azerbaijani Sputnik agency, Maria Zakharova did not make differentiation between Russia’s relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, although Armenia-Russia relations are allied and much more strategic.
These two negative impulses cannot be overlooked, especially given the intensified and aggressive Azerbaijani lobbying in Moscow after the change of power in Armenia. Let us also not forget the anti-Russian front in our country that is also partly represented in the government. Any bilateral relations should be based on dignity, mutual respect and sovereignty, and to serve the state interest. In this case, the interests of Armenia and Russia dictate the same imperative: Armenian-Russian relations should remain strategic-allied. The rest is a dangerous game for both sides”.