Regarding Russia's Jealousy, Allies Should Be Supported: Alen Simonyan

Security in the South Caucasus, the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the further development of relations between Armenia and the EU were among the main topics discussed today in Riga by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, and his Latvian counterpart Daiga Mierina. This was reported by rus.lsm.lv.

“We spoke about how Armenia is moving towards the European Union. And for that, it wants to leave the CSTO led by Russia. Armenia has also informed us that Russian soldiers are gradually leaving the country,” Mierina stated.

She added that Latvia supports Armenia’s path to Europe. The Speaker of the Saeima noted that Armenia sees itself in a unified family of democratic countries.

“What is happening in our region is the same story as in Ukraine. The only difference is the actors involved. We need support to establish long-term peace. We have no territorial claims against our neighbors. All we need is to generate a desire for peace within the Azerbaijani government. For this, we need both Latvian and European partners’ help. We share the values of Latvia and EU members, so we need support to become a full member of the European Union,” Alen Simonyan stated.

When asked about the possible reaction of Russia if Armenia joins the EU, Alen Simonyan responded: “Regarding Russia's jealousy, it is essential to be a good partner, to support allies, and to be honest with your partner, even if that partner is small. Our society has made a decision to be part of the European Union. Just a few days ago, our parliament discussed a referendum regarding Armenia's EU membership. I believe that in the near future we will have this referendum, and I am confident that our people will say yes,” Alen Simonyan said.