During the visit of the head of the Russian MFA Sergei Lavrov in Armenia and his meetings with the abroad Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzojan, a protest action took place in front of the MFA building in Yerevan.
The organizers of the protest were forces in favour of bringing Armenia closer to the West, including organization leader In the name of the Republic of Arman Babadzhanjan, president of the European organization of Armenia Tigran Chzmaljan, Human Rights Defender Artur Sakunc and others. They kept posters with the inscription “Murderers” on photographs of the Russian abroad Minister and Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin.
According to the Armenian paper Radio Swoboda, officers called on the protesters to leave the area in front of the building and proceed demonstrations on the sidewalk across the street. Babadzhanjan, however, refused to do so. There was a pushover that led the police to push the assembled across the street.
During his gathering with Ararat Mirzojan Sergey Lavrow, he stated that Moscow was willing to full support Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He stressed the importance of an allied relation between the 2 countries and the request to make maximum usage of the existing foundations of bilateral cooperation.
Responding to the question of the correspondent of the Russian 24 channel about his earlier statements on the ineffectiveness of the current safety architecture, Ararat Mirzojan reiterated that this strategy has indeed proved to be inefficient in a number of cases. As he pointed out, Armenia found it essential to revise it on its own experience, but this does not mean breaking the alliance relation with Russia:
‘No. Our obligations, rights and intentions are clearly recorded on paper, signed, ratified—and no 1 has invalidated them.”
At the same time, Mirzojan recalled the already known criticism from Armenia at the address of the OUBZ (Organization of the Collective safety Agreement):
"We are not satisfied with the OUBZ consequence to circumstantial events and have suspended our activities in this organization. Nevertheless, discussions in a constructive speech are ongoing, covering both problematic issues and elements of affirmative dynamics."
The visit signed a paper on the consultation programme between the Ministry of abroad Affairs of Armenia and Russia for the period 2025–2026.
Sergei Lavrow arrived in Armenia on 20 May. His visit is accompanied by protests — the organization In the name of the Republic besides carried out a akin action the day before. In addition to gathering Mirzojan, Lavrow has scheduled talks with Prime Minister Nikola Paszynian and president Wahagne Chaczaturian.
Source: ekhokavkaza.com
Study Bulletin: BIS
