Armenian Ambassador in Moscow summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry

Armenian Ambassador to Moscow Vagharshak Harutyunyan has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry "amid Yerevan's unfriendly actions," according to a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.

According to the Tass News Agency, a note of protest was submitted, stressing the unacceptability of the insulting statements made on September 6 by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Alen Robertovich Simonyan, against the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Director of the Department for Information and Press Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, and the Russian Foreign Ministry as a whole.

The Ministry also shed light on the concerns within the official circles and the political elite of Armenia regarding the feasibility of allied relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization and with Russia on a bilateral level. The Ministry expressed concern about recent actions by the Armenian leadership, such as the initiation of the process of ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC (International Criminal Court), a visit to Kyiv by the Prime Minister's wife, Anna Vachikova Hakobyan, and conducting military drills on Armenian soil with the participation of the United States.

Adding to its concerns, the Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed to the recent arrest of blogger Mikael Badalyan and Sputnik Armenia radio columnist Ashot Gevorgyan in Armenia on September 7.

Despite these challenges, the diplomatic wing stressed Russia's unwavering commitment to the alliance with Armenia. Moscow remains hopeful that all existing agreements aimed at strengthening relations will be fully implemented for the mutual benefit of both nations. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that this includes the organization of CSTO exercises and the possible deployment of the organization's monitoring team to help resolve issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan.