3 minute read
Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party, said he shared with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their recent meeting in Moscow the Armenian government’s “concerns.”
“Yes, I presented our concerns, and they presented theirs. The purpose of the politicians, my visit, and our meeting was for them to express what worries them, and for us to express what worries us. But beyond asking each other questions, we also had very important discussions, proposals, and practical talks—ranging from various investments in Armenia to organizing Armenian Culture Days in Russia, and more. We talked for 1 hour and 40 minutes,” Simonyan said at a press briefing.
The Speaker noted that he was not aware which part of the meeting was closed and which was open. He also did not know that the conversation was being broadcast live.
According to Simonyan, there was a brief mention regarding TRIPP, the U.S.-Armenian connectivity project.
"He meant that we discussed various things, but the reality now is different. I said, yes, the reality is different, and there is the possibility for you to also be involved (without participation in TRIPP, I cannot imagine it) in building, reconstructing, and operating other infrastructures,” he said.
According to the Speaker, this is a very good proposal that Russia should respond to. He said he believes that there will be a response from the Russian side in this regard.
Simonyan said that during the meeting with Lavrov, he raised all concerns related to statements coming from Russia.
“I said that there are talks about conducting a special military operation on Armenian territory,” the Speaker said, referring to the controversial statements made by a Russian media personality. “What I said here, I also said there,” the Speaker of the National Assembly said.
He added that Lavrov’s response was consistent with the usual official Russian stance—that such plans do not exist and are just the actions of individuals.
“They assured us that in no way do they have any interest in our foreign or domestic policy. Of course, there are certain concerns on their part that they raised, and we also have concerns. At one point, they even wished us—the ruling faction—good luck in the upcoming elections,” the Speaker said.