Armenia is Christian country, but its rulers are not – Vitaly Milonov

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian MP Vitaly Milonov commented on various aspects of Armenian political life and assessed the events unfolding in Armenia.

“The country is Christian, but its rulers—pardon me—are not. I don’t intrude on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s political authority or jurisdiction, but his attitude toward clergy who disagree with him is entirely inappropriate. To me, this position mirrors the situation in Ukraine, where priests also face persecution and harassment. I’d like to ask: is this part of your so-called liberal paradigm? Are these the values you’re trying to emulate—from the US, Europe, or elsewhere? Is this the right thing to do: lock away your political opponents, who also happen to be clergy, behind bars? Doesn’t this remind you of the persecution and repression of 1937-38? After all, you claim to champion human rights and freedoms,” Milonov said.

Commenting on President Aliyev’s statements regarding the Azerbaijani interpretation of Lake Sevan’s name and the disappearance of Mount Ararat from Armenian customs stamps, the expert states that this is all absurd, and Ararat is Armenia.

“Forgive me, but Turkey and Azerbaijan want to be friends with Pashinyan, not Armenia, and he serves them faithfully, showing no respect for the interests of Armenia or Armenians. And this nonsense that that occasionally surfaces—ridiculous names with no historical basis—is not worth paying attention to. And the fact that one of Armenia’s symbols—Mount Ararat—was removed so as not to irritate influential neighbors seems quite symbolic. Then rename cognac. I want to say again, he can remove it as much as he wants, but for us, Mount Ararat symbolizes Armenia and is one of the most famous symbols in the world. Armenia is Mount Ararat! Even if the territory of Eastern Anatolia is now, as in the past, under different control, that means nothing to people around the world,” Milonov emphasized.