The Russian State Duma accused Pashinyan of "treachery" over Armenia's European integration

Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, has made harsh public accusations against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The Russian official called the actions of the Armenian leadership “meanness and dishonesty,” reacting to Yerevan’s geopolitical pivot toward the West. 

This is according to an official statement by Volodin on Telegram.

The main reason for the latest wave of criticism from Moscow was the Armenian parliament’s adoption of a law launching the official process of the country’s integration into the European Union, as well as the ratification of the Rome Statute and recognition of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which had previously issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. Volodin stated that Pashinyan is pursuing an openly unfriendly policy, siding with states that impose sanctions against Russia and hinder its development.

The Speaker of the Russian State Duma resorted to economic pressure, criticizing Yerevan for its financial preferences. According to him, Russia supplies natural gas to Armenia at prices nearly four times lower than market rates, acting “to its own detriment.” The Speaker of the Russian Parliament drew direct parallels between Armenia’s current course and previous European integration processes in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin no longer intends to ignore these trends, and that the current format of bilateral relations cannot continue.