Sharmazanov says parliament speaker nomination sends message to Ankara

Opposition politician Eduard Sharmazanov, a senior member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), on Thursday criticized the ruling Civil Contract party's nomination of Deputy National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan as its candidate for parliament speaker, arguing that the move constitutes a deliberate political overture to Turkey.

"In politics, there are no insignificant details. The latest proof of this is the nomination of Armenia's envoy for the normalization of relations with Turkey as the candidate for parliament speaker," he said in a social media post.

Sharmazanov contended that, in practical terms, the identity of the ruling party's nominee would not alter the parliamentary majority's unwavering support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's agenda. However, he argued that elevating the official responsible for negotiations with Turkey to one of the country's senior posts amounts to "a clear gesture" towards Ankara.

He pointed out that Turkey's special envoy for the normalization process with Armenia, Serdar Kilic, had already welcomed the nomination, which Sharmazanov characterized as an indication of Ankara's approval.

Sharmazanov stressed that he does not advocate confrontation with Turkey and reaffirmed his longstanding support for establishing bilateral relations without preconditions. Meanwhile, he accused the Armenian government of pursuing policies that align with a Turkish-Azerbaijani agenda rather than safeguarding Armenia's national interests.

According to Sharmazanov, Pashinyan is expected to continue deepening rapprochement with Turkey, a process he alleged would ultimately expand Turkish influence in Armenia. He cited Rubinyan's nomination as further evidence of that policy.

Pashinyan announced on Thursday that the Civil Contract party had selected Rubinyan as its candidate for the National Assembly speaker.