YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. The ongoing events in Armenia, in particular, the opposition rallies are a domestic affair and any hypothetic deliberations on possible Russian meddling in this situation are irrelevant, Russian president’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, TASS reports. “This is absolutely Armenia’s domestic affair, this is all I can say”, Peskov said asked if Russia saw a threat of destabilization in the region amid the protests in Armenia. “Why should Moscow interfere?”, he said, noting that any hypothetic deliberations are absolutely irrelevant.

He reminded that earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on being elected Prime Minister of Armenia.

“We carefully follow the ongoing developments in Armenia. Armenia is our closest ally with which we are developing very close relations. Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, that country is important for us: therefore, we carefully follow the developments there”, Peskov said.

Touching on a possible introduction of a special regime at the Russian military base in Gyumri, the Kremlin spokesman said this was a matter of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Street demonstrations and protests began in Yerevan 11 days ago, days before Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan was elected by Members of Parliament to serve as Prime Minister.

Earlier on April 9, the country shifted to a parliamentary system of administration. On the same day, President Armen Sarkissian took office.

Opposition protests began in the Armenian capital in the form of sit-ins, marches and demonstrations.

Led by opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan, the lawmaker from the parliamentary Yelk faction which has only 9 seats in the 105-seat Armenian Parliament, the protesters launched a campaign of civil disobedience.

English translator/editor – Aneta Harutyunyan