Anti-Russia protest held outside Armenian parliament

A small group of pro-Western activists gathered outside the Armenian National Assembly on Friday to protest the official visit of Russian Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko to Yerevan.

“Russia, get out of Armenia! Traitors! Merchants!” Arman Babajanyan, leader of the pro-Western For the Republic Party, chanted at the protest.

“The purpose of our protest is to make clear that Armenia no longer sees Russia as an ally,” he told reporters. “Russia is waging a hybrid war against Armenia – wars are waged by enemies, not friends. Russian officials must stop treating our country like their private domain.”

Babajanyan also criticized Matviyenko’s decision not to hold a press conference during her visit, calling it a deliberate attempt to avoid “painful questions” about Russia.

Tigran Khzmalyan, head of the European Party of Armenia, extended the criticism to Armenia’s leadership, accusing them of stalling on European integration.

“The Armenian parliament adopted a resolution to begin the EU accession process 64 days ago,” he noted. “However, not a single formal application has been submitted to the European Union to date.”