Armenian opposition supporters call on Lavrov to comply with agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh

An opposition march was timed to coincide with the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Yerevan. Participants of the march have expressed their hope that Russia will fulfil its obligations as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and will not go beyond the statements adopted by the co-chairs on the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 7, opposition supporters held protest marches in Yerevan to the building of the representative office of the European Union (EU). There, activists called on the authorities of EU countries to react to Armenian police's use of excessive force against marchers on June 3.

This morning, opposition supporters have marched from Square of France to the Foreign Ministry building, where a meeting was scheduled between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who is on an official visit to Armenia, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reported from the scene.

According to Ishkhan Sagatelyan, the deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament from the “Hayastan” opposition bloc, the opposition intends to clearly state that “the current government does not represent the Armenian people.” “Negotiations that are being held with the current authorities of Armenia behind closed doors have nothing to do with the urgent agenda of the Armenian people,” Ishkhan Sagatelyan said. Therefore, according to him, any agreements with Nikol Pashinyan will not mean anything.

Hayk Mamidjanyan, an MP from the “I have the Honour” opposition faction, notes that the today’s action should be taken not as a protest, but as friendly demands of the allies.

“In its various statements, Russia has repeatedly attached particular importance to the right of nations to self-determination. And I want to state on behalf of the Armenian people that Artsakh has the right to self-determination just like all other nations. And we hope that Russia, being a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will be committed to the five statements of the co-chairs. We expect from the Russian Federation exactly what we agreed on. And today, we declare that Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan,” Hayk Mamidjanyan emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 9, 2022 at 02:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.