Speaking to journalists on Monday, Simonian singled out Russian television coverage of political developments in Armenia which he said is aimed at fomenting regime change there. He said that Moscow is unhappy with the current Armenian government’s efforts to end the country’s heavy dependence on Russia and forge closer ties with the West.
Simonian, who is a key political ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, went on to brand Robert Kocharian, a former president leading Armenia’s largest opposition group, a “Russian spy.”
“To put it mildly, we regret the rhetoric to which Alen Simonian has reverted,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told a news briefing in Moscow. “These attacks and insults don’t really fit the image of a parliament speaker.”
Simonian lambasted Moscow right after meeting with the Russian ambassador in Yerevan, Sergei Kopyrkin. According to the official Armenian readout of the meeting, the two men discussed bilateral ties as well as preparations for a planned visit to Armenia by Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament.
The visit was originally scheduled for the beginning of this year but postponed for unknown reasons. Simonian said that the authorities in Yerevan are “getting ready” for it but gave no concrete dates. He also announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit Armenia early next month.
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and speaker Alen Simonian arrive for a session in parliament, February 12, 2025.
The Armenian speaker’s comments contrasted with Pashinian’s apparent efforts to ease tensions with Moscow amid global geopolitical shifts generated by the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump. The Armenian premier is expected to attend on Friday a military parade in Moscow dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
As well as making those overtures, Pashinian’s government pushed through the Armenian parliament last month a bill declaring the “start of a process of Armenia's accession to the European Union.” Russian officials have repeatedly warned Yerevan of severe economic consequences of that process.
Kopyrkin alluded to the bill in a weekend interview with the Armenian newspaper 168 Zham. The Russian envoy said Armenian leaders must not “allow Russophobic forces in the West to use their wonderful country for opening a second front for confrontation with Russia in the region.”
Arsen Torosian, another senior Armenian lawmaker allied to Pashinian, on Tuesday condemned Kopyrkin’s comments as “blackmail” and a threat to provoke anti-government “disturbances” in Armenia. Torosian also doubled down on Simonian’s allegations of the Russian “hybrid war,” saying that Moscow is seeking to influence the results of Armenia’s next general elections and install a “puppet government” in Yerevan.