Gagik Tsarukyan Conducts Phone Conversation with Russian State Duma Deputy Leonid Kalashnikov to Discuss Military Escalation Issues

The president of the Prosperous Armenia party, Gagik Tsarukyan, has had a phone conversation with Leonid Kalashnikov, the chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. This was reported by Iveta Tonoyan, a deputy from the BHK faction in the Armenian National Assembly.

According to the deputy, the discussions covered recent events related to military escalation in the border region of Tavush, the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as well as recent domestic political developments in Armenia and Russia. Tsarukyan presented to his Russian counterpart the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, emphasizing the unacceptability of provocations by the Azerbaijani armed forces. He pointed out that the full responsibility for potential casualties and further escalation of the situation would rest with the Azerbaijani military-political leadership.

In response, Leonid Kalashnikov expressed his willingness to exert all efforts to reduce military tensions, underscoring the brotherly and allied relations between the Armenian and Russian peoples in this context. The parties stressed the need to resolve conflicts exclusively by peaceful means and to undertake effective measures to decrease tension at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Regarding the process of overcoming the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, both Kalashnikov and Tsarukyan agreed that the imposed restrictions should not lead to a deterioration in the economic situation and the living standards of citizens.

Tsarukyan expressed his readiness to take steps to attract significant Russian investments into the Armenian economy, and Kalashnikov welcomed this initiative from the leader of the Prosperous Armenia party. At the end of the phone call, Tsarukyan and Kalashnikov discussed recent domestic political developments in Russia and Armenia and expressed their willingness to work towards expanding bilateral parliamentary relations and comprehensively deepening the ties between the brotherly Armenian and Russian peoples for the benefit of the development and prosperity of Armenia and Russia.