Galuzin Calls Prime Minister's Wife's Visit to Kyiv and Contact with Zelensky 'Audacious'

The Russian side has always remained committed to the allied and strategic partnership with Armenia and the existing agreements. The centuries-old close ties between the Russian and Armenian peoples must be preserved and strengthened. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with RBC, commenting on the existing tensions in Armenian-Russian relations.

“It is unpleasant to see steps from official Yerevan that, in our opinion, are determined by a clear opposing logic to what I outlined... Regarding Russian-Armenian relations, we have always proceeded from the premise that we will resolve complex issues at the official level through professional, diplomatic channels – without emotional outbursts in the media. Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in anti-Russian rhetoric in the public domain from the Armenian side. I do not want to cite all our arguments that attest to the unfriendly behavior of official Yerevan. But I would like to remind of such steps as conducting Armenian-American military exercises against the backdrop of a refusal to participate in educational and training activities within the CSTO framework.

“As for the audacious actions, such as the visit of the Prime Minister’s wife to Kyiv and her communication with Zelensky, as well as the interactions between the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Mr. Simonian, and his Ukrainian counterpart Stefanchoek. Recently, various guests from Europe have frequently visited Yerevan, using it as a platform for various anti-Russian statements. Nevertheless, we have great hope that Yerevan will adequately assess the importance of Russian-Armenian partnership. These should stem primarily from the strong, centuries-old bonds that unite the peoples of Russia and Armenia,” Galuzin said.