Kopirkina Labels Alen Simonian's Statements as Outright Lies

The Ambassador of Russia to Armenia, Sergey Kopirkina, has openly labeled the statements made by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonian, regarding Russia as outright lies. He made these remarks in an interview with 24News.

Kopirkina recalled the significant role that Russia and personally President Vladimir Putin played in stopping the tragic war in 2020, as well as the actions taken by Russian peacekeepers within their mandate. “I won’t attempt to remind you that it is our border guards who do everything to stabilize the situation during escalations, as occurred in Nakhichevan. I won’t even mention the observation posts that were established along the border with Azerbaijan at the personal request of the Prime Minister of Armenia and with Russian financial resources in 2020, which the Armenian side has yet to grant legislative status to, despite the considerable amount of money spent from the Russian state budget,” he stated.

He emphasized that such accusations are thrown by one of the highest-ranking officials who knows from the inside what is happening in Armenian-Russian relations. According to the ambassador, Simonian is well aware that Russia was the only country taking all possible measures to stop the bloodshed and disaster, even when the situation was critically severe for Russia as well.

Kopirkina raised the question of why such charges are voiced publicly. The diplomat pointed out that he is not against criticizing Russian approaches. He underscored that it is possible to disagree, to say that Armenia is placing its hope on something, but that Russia did not act as it should have. However, when it comes to outright lies, one must question how this aligns with the real interests of ordinary people.

“You are talking about Russia, which is the main economic donor, where the majority of Armenian goods are exported, where hundreds of thousands of Armenians work, where the largest Armenian diaspora exists. Armenian-Russian relations are a vital issue for many people living in Armenia and Russia. And when such remarks come from one of the country’s leaders, I am left wondering whose interests he is serving,” the ambassador stated.

The diplomat noted that in communications with Armenian partners, Russian representatives propose discussing all issues in a climate of trust, including the operations of the CSTO. Kopirkina emphasized that only Russia has security resources in this matter. Nevertheless, he remarked, there has been no response to these proposals, while such statements continue to be made.