Simonyan: "Armenia was on its knees in relations with Russia"
Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan assessed Yerevan's relations with Moscow.
"In the past, Armenia was on its knees in relations with Russia. Our entire political situation was coordinated with Russia," he stated.
Simonyan believes his country should not pursue its national interests with an eye on Moscow. He emphasized that Armenia does not take hostile actions against Russia, but is focused on ensuring its own security and pursuing an independent policy.
"Let's choose: either we live on our knees, under the boot of Russia or France, or we try to become the master of our small country. We are not exchanging one big brother for another," Simonyan said.
He also commented on the summons of Armenia's Chargé d'Affaires in Belarus, who was handed a note of protest. Minsk reported that this occurred after Simonyan's statement that Armenia would not allow Russia to turn the country into a province and that the republic would not be governed like Belarus.
"We chose the path of democratizing Armenia, but they chose a different path. Armenia will not be a province, will not be politically dependent, will increase its level of sovereignty, and the example of Belarusian governance is unacceptable to me and to my country. Armenia is a free country, with free media, human rights, and the rule of law," Simonyan said.
He added that disrespect for Armenia worsens Armenian-Belarusian relations.
