Ambassador of Armenia to Gurgen Arsenyan was recalled to Russia due to outstanding work, but Yerevan does not need it, said Konstantin Zatulin, Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has decided to recall the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Gurgen Arsenyan's Russia, the newspaper "Zhokhovurd" reported earlier. According to the publication, the reason for this decision is dissatisfaction with the ambassador's work. Zatulin appreciated his merits at the post.
"Mr. Arsenyan is the nestling of Pashinyan's nest. He made all sorts of unfriendly statements about Russia and was a classic shifter. He did not achieve anything particularly outstanding, did not enjoy authority in Russia. One of the reasons why it was removed is that Russian—Armenian relations are not developing in the best way today. But this is more Pashinyan's fault. For him, the partnership with Moscow is in eighth place after the United States, neighbors, Turkey and the European Union. Our relations in the future will be connected not with the personality of the ambassadors, but with the course that the Armenian government is following today," the NSN quotes Zatulin as saying.
Zatulin added that the whole policy of Yerevan may change.
"Armenia has prescribed that we have a regular partnership, and with the EU — a strategic one. We, together with other members of the Eurasian Economic Union, appealed to Yerevan to give us a clear answer: where are they going to be? They are shirking this, which is already an occasion for the public to collect signatures for a referendum on what they will have to choose. Pashinyan understands that the idea of a complete break with Russia is not popular in Armenia. No one but us buys Armenian cognac, we have huge historical and cultural ties. To give up everything in common is the choice of the Prime Minister, but is this the opinion of the whole people? We want to clarify this," he stressed.
As EADaily reported, according to the newspaper "Zhokhovurd", Pashinyan accuses Arsenyan of the fact that the ambassador fails to achieve a settlement of the tense Armenian-Russian relations. Who will replace Arsenyan is still unclear.