First Call from Moscow for Pashinyan

Moscow / 08/01/18 / Turan: Events in Armenia are contrary to the statements of the new leadership of the country about the refusal to pursue its political predecessors, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported.

"Russia as an ally of Yerevan has always been interested in the stability of the Armenian state, so what is happening there certainly bothers us, including from the viewpoint of the tasks of normal functioning of the organizations in the CIS area, in which Armenia participates," he said.

"Over the past few days, we have repeatedly brought this concern to the Armenian leadership," the minister added. "We expect that the situation will nevertheless follow a constructive path."

According to him, during the political crisis in Armenia in May this year the Moscow authorities "with great satisfaction noted that as a result, the solution to this crisis was found on the basis of a compromise with the participation of all leading parties." "We hoped that, based on this result, all political forces, first of all the new leadership of Armenia, the new authorities, will continue to promote unifying approaches and will strengthen the national accord," Lavrov said.

"But the events of recent days clearly violate such a positive attitude, run counter to the recent statements by the new leadership of Armenia that it has no intention to organize the persecution of its predecessors for political reasons," he concluded.

Such an open form of expression of discontent by the Russian Foreign Minister is a serious signal for the Armenian authorities. Pashinyan's government can no longer say that in relations with Moscow they have no problems.

Lavrov's statement also says that Moscow will not be so easy to surrender its people to Armenia.

As previously reported, former Armenian President Robert Kocharian was arrested on charges of forcible seizure of power and changing the state system in the framework of the case on the March 1-2, 2008 events.

Former Armenian Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan and CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov are charged under part 1 of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia - a preliminary conspiracy with other persons to overthrow the constitutional order.

Mikael Harutyunyan has been put on the wanted list, and Yuri Khachaturov has been released on bail in the amount of 5 million drams. -02D-