At a meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan reaffirmed Armenia’s interest in preserving and advancing its relationship with Russia.
Simonyan noted that some of the statements from Moscow have drawn sharp reactions among the Armenian public because “Russia is important to Armenia.” He added that such remarks cause concern in Armenian society and said he had previously discussed the issue with the Russian ambassador.
“They react this way because Moscow and its position matter. There is a perception that Moscow is an ally, and that has always been the case,” Simonyan said, as quoted by TASS.
He also made clear that Armenia does not intend to leave the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), stating, “When it comes to the EAEU and the Customs Union, we don’t think we should withdraw. We believe a mutually beneficial solution can be found,” according to RBC.
For his part, Lavrov emphasized that “Russia remains Armenia’s primary trade and economic partner,” RIA Novosti reports.
“Moscow continues to serve as your key trade partner. We take this responsibility seriously and seek to deepen our cooperation in every possible way, promoting large-scale infrastructure projects and initiatives based on our accumulated experience — which is reflected in the structure of Armenia’s economy,” Lavrov said during the meeting.
Before departing for Moscow, Simonyan also responded to a question on whether he would address the issue of alleged hybrid attacks by Russia against Armenia, something he has previously mentioned publicly.
“I don’t think anyone doubts that for me or our team, there’s no issue we won’t discuss if we’ve raised it before. I spoke to Chairwoman Matviyenko during her visit. I shared our concerns with the ambassador when we met. The ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and was told everything. If there’s a need or an occasion, I’ll raise it again. I don’t think anyone doubts that,” Simonyan said.
