Russia wants Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to lose the upcoming election due to his increasing engagement with Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
Rubio made the remarks while briefing U.S. lawmakers at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the TRIPP project, a proposed U.S.-managed transit and trade corridor intended to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
“The Russians are less than happy about our engagement there. I think there's evidence that they would like the current [Prime Minister] to lose his election as a result of this growing relationship with the United States.”
Under the framework for TRIPP, Armenia would grant a 99-year lease to a U.S.-led consortium to manage the construction and operation of rail, road and energy pipelines, which make up the scheme.
The land through which the transport and energy infrastructure runs through would remain under Armenian control.
Armenia, a landlocked nation of around 3 million, has traditionally had close ties to Moscow and is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.
But in recent years, Pashinyan’s government has looked to forge stronger ties with the U.S. and European Union (EU).
Russia has never said it wants Pashinyan to lose the election but has criticised his pursuit of closer ties with the West.
Western intelligence officials have previously said that Moscow has pursued disinformation campaigns in favour of pro-Russian opposition candidates in an attempt to undermine Pashinyan ahead of the election on 7 June.
Russian Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday (3 June) that the U.S. wasn’t treating Armenia as an equal partner.
Zakharova was responding to a question about Moscow’s assessment of an agreement signed by Armenia and the U.S. in May, which reaffirmed support for the TRIPP project.
In late May, Russia recalled its ambassador to Armenia in protest at the country’s increasing ties with the EU.
"The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia, S.P. Kopyrkin, has been recalled to Moscow for consultations in connection with steps taken by the Armenian leadership toward rapprochement with the European Union," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Speaking at the Senate Relations Committee, Rubio insisted the U.S.'s improving links with Armenia weren’t a threat to Yerevan’s relations with other countries.
“To be clear, we're not there to infringe on Armenian sovereignty. We're not asking them not to be friends with other countries. We just want to be able to have a relationship with them that's built not just on peace. Peace is important, but that's just the beginning.”
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