Russian Foreign Ministry Criticizes Bolton�s Statements in Yerevan

Moscow / 30.10.18 / Turan: The Russian Foreign Ministry made a critical comment on the recent statements by the Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security John Bolton and the US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills.

Thus, the Foreign Ministry called the recent interview with Mills "impudent, indistinguishable from direct intervention in internal affairs." In Moscow"s opinion, the Ambassador, in his farewell interview, "publicly instructed the host country"s government on economic policy issues and promised local public organizations generous funding for oversight of the government."

As for John Bolton, who visited Yerevan the other day, Moscow accused him of "publicly demanding that Armenia abandon the "historical cliché "in its international relations (it"s not a secret that it"s a traditional friendship with Russia). He also said he expects proactive steps from Nikol Pashinyan towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after the parliamentary elections. Naturally, he did not forget to advertise American weapons, which Armenia should acquire instead of Russian ones.

In conclusion, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation spoke with irony even about the following phrase said by Bolton in an interview with Radio Liberty: "For Armenia it is of fundamental importance to be completely sovereign, and not dependent or subject to excessive external influence."

Apparently, in Moscow they consider that for Armenia to depend on the United States is very bad, but to fully depend on Russia is good. -02D-