The Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Accuses Russia of Attempting Government Change

The Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, stated that a "political operation aimed at regime change" is being prepared against Armenia, referring to Russia's actions. He drew a parallel between the situation in Ukraine, where Russia's interests are being advanced militarily, and Armenia, where, he believes, an attempt is being made to seize power.

"If in Ukraine they are trying to advance their interests militarily, then in Armenia there is an attempt to seize power. They are now trying to use our democratic nature against us. They say: 'Your internet is open, and we'll buy so much advertising on this internet with our rubles that everything will be ours. We will not allow Armenia to be turned into a province. We will not be governed the way Belarus is governed,'" Simonyan said.

Against the backdrop of the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, the Armenian authorities have decided to monitor the content of Russian television channels broadcasting in the country. This was announced at a meeting of the Armenian Security Council held on May 1. Sources close to government circles report that the authorities have instructed them to closely monitor information about Armenia and its current leadership disseminated through these media outlets and to suppress counter-propaganda.

It is expected that questions about suspending the broadcast of individual Russian television channels may be raised in the near future, according to the newspaper Hraparak. Earlier, Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the NGO Union of Informed Citizens, reported the removal of dozens of YouTube channels from Armenia that provided positive coverage of Russia.
Furthermore, according to Hraparak, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has banned entry to the country for some Armenians living in the Russian Federation. He also expressed the opinion that opposition forces, in particular the Strong Armenia party and the Armenia bloc, considered pro-Russian, will not be able to enter parliament.

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