Armenian Foreign Ministry hands note to Russian Ambassador over interference in internal affairs

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan, responding to a written inquiry from Radar Armenia, confirmed that the Ministry has handed a note to the Russian Ambassador concerning statements made by Russian state media and certain officials targeting the Armenian authorities.

The note conveys Armenia’s strong dissatisfaction with "openly unfriendly and very often hostile propaganda aired on Russian state television channels against the Armenian government."

According to Badalyan, the content of the note was made public because the issue is of significant concern to Armenian citizens. “There is no reason to withhold the content of the note from the public,” she said.

The note expresses a strong protest against the “openly unfriendly, often hostile propaganda against the Government of the Republic of Armenia in Russian mass media,” which, it claims, is actively fueled by statements from certain officials, members of the Russian State Duma, media outlets, and representatives of the expert community.

“The use of offensive language during live broadcasts on Russian state television, as well as the targeting of the Armenian government’s activities, is absolutely unacceptable and undermines the positive outcomes of recent high-level visits between Armenia and Russia,” the note states.

It further emphasizes that statements made by individual members of the Russian State Duma regarding the legal actions of Armenian investigators to prevent a coup attempt are not only surprising but also deeply concerning. Some of these statements reportedly characterized the arrest of coup plotters as “another unfriendly step by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.”

“Such remarks are not only absurd, since it is unclear how preventing a coup d’état could be considered an unfriendly act, but also represent gross interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Armenia,” the note adds. “Moreover, it gives the impression that this media policy is being deliberately pursued to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and the constitutional order in Armenia.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry urged its Russian counterparts to take “immediate and effective measures” to put an end to these unfriendly actions toward Armenia.