Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Refuses to Meet with Armenia's Newly Appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Gevondyan

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister has refused to meet with Armenia's newly appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Gevondyan, according to Russian sources reported by the Mediaport Telegram channel.

An unfortunate incident occurred during Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazyan's visit to Moscow. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko declined to attend a planned meeting with the Armenian side because Armen Gevondyan was present. Gevondyan had been appointed to this position just days before the trip to Moscow. This information has been reported by Russian sources, citing Russian diplomatic circles.

The reason for the refusal is linked to Gevondyan's alleged covert collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan's circle during the 2018 revolution, where he reportedly communicated confidential information about the country's internal and foreign policy matters to Pashinyan.

Later, Pashinyan appointed Gevondyan as Armenia's ambassador to Belarus, but he was recently recalled from Minsk and appointed as Deputy Minister.

During the meeting in Moscow, Gevondyan demanded that necessary measures be taken to silence Armenian businessmen living in Russia and Russian media outlets that criticize the Armenian government. However, all of Gevondyan’s demands were rejected.