How Will Armenia Respond to the Independence of Donetsk and Luhansk?

While the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk celebrate the recognition of their autonomous states' independence by Russia, discussions are ongoing in Armenia regarding the country's stance on this issue. Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics on February 21, simultaneously signing treaties of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance with the leaders of the two states in Donbas.

In response to the question of whether Armenia will recognize the independence of the Donbas countries, Anush Beglaryan, a member of the Civil Contract faction in the National Assembly, stated, "Armenia is not constrained in its foreign policy and builds relationships with any country within the framework of mutual interests. I have no further comment on this matter."

The same question was posed to Hayk Mamijanyan, the secretary of the opposition 'I Have Honor' faction and vice-chair of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. He responded, "At this moment, I won’t comment."

Maria Karapetyan, a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Relations, also avoided the question yesterday about whether Armenia is planning to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk: "I will not comment on this at the moment, as I need to wait until a position is formed. I have not had the opportunity to discuss the political and geopolitical developments that took place last night with my other colleagues."

Indeed, both parliamentary opposition and ruling faction members are avoiding giving a clear stance regarding the events unfolding in Donetsk and Luhansk. Meanwhile, without any reaction from Yerevan, the President of Artsakh has hastened to welcome President Vladimir Putin's decision on behalf of the authorities and the people.

Arayik Harutyunyan has considered international recognition of the statehood as a civilized means of preventing bloodshed, drawing parallels with Artsakh.