Armenia's ruling party criticized over 'anti-Georgian' vote

Armenian opposition lawmaker Artur Khachatryan accused members of the ruling Civil Contract party of voting in favor of an “anti-Georgian” resolution at the recent Euronest Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Khachatryan said the pro-government MPs backed a political committee report that criticized Georgia’s ruling party, calling it “self-proclaimed” and describing its policies as “anti-democratic” and the foreign agents law as “draconian”.

He noted the same MPs voted against an amendment demanding that Azerbaijan release Armenian prisoners held in Baku and allow displaced Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to return home safely.

“When Azerbaijan and Turkey tighten the noose around Armenia’s neck, they vote for a resolution against Georgia,” Khachatryan wrote, calling the move “a stab in the back”.

Fellow opposition MP Kristine Vardanyan echoed the criticism, saying the ruling party was “systematically damaging Armenia’s relations with all neighbors to justify dependence on Turkey and Azerbaijan”.