‘The role that Russia has played in the fate of Armenia for centuries must bring us together’, Russian politician says

First Deputy Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Vladimir Chizhov commented to Alpha News on the current situation in Armenian-Russian relations on the sidelines of the XVI Verona Eurasian Economic Forum.

“I am saddened by the current situation, given that our countries and peoples are bound by centuries-old friendship and cooperation. The role that Russia has played in the fate of Armenia for centuries must bring us together but now the situation is regrettable. I will not talk about indignation; I will say ‘regret’, because I hope that this situation will be overcome as soon as possible, and we will normalize our cooperation,” Chizhov said.

He also addressed the situation in the negotiation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where leadership has now shifted to the West.

“The West took the lead because the Armenian side did not show any appropriate and, in my opinion, necessary reaction. The West has always tried to interfere. I have observed this in different conflict situations and on different, so to speak, problems. As soon as an opportunity is seen, it tries to intervene in the dialogue between Yerevan and Baku, as well as between Belgrade and Pristina. I do not draw parallels between these situations, but the way the same European Union behaves cannot but cause an unambiguous reaction,” Chizhov said.