Pashinyan to Putin: There Are No Political Prisoners in Our Jails; Only Armenian Citizens Will Be Allowed to Participate in Elections

MOSCOW — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that there are no political prisoners in the prisons of the Republic of Armenia.

According to RIA Novosti, Pashinyan said, “In general, to be honest, we do not have any participants in political processes in those places.”

“Armenia Is a Democratic Country”

President Putin stated that Moscow is following Armenia’s ongoing pre-election developments with understanding and expressed hope that they would not affect Armenian-Russian relations.

“We see that domestic political processes in Armenia are gaining momentum, and elections are approaching. The important thing is that these tensions have in no way harmed our relations,” Putin said.

Putin also expressed hope that pro-Russian political forces in Armenia would be able to participate in the elections.

“There are many political forces in Armenia that are pro-Russian. Of course, I will tell you frankly, we maintain dialogue where we always speak openly and directly, and we would very much like all these political parties and political figures to be able to participate in this domestic political work during the elections.

That is your decision; we will not interfere. But in any case, we would like all of them to be able to take part in this internal political process,” Putin said, referring to certain figures currently in detention in Armenia.

Pashinyan responded: “Armenia is a democratic country, and we always have an active domestic political life. I want to emphasize that only persons who hold exclusively Armenian citizenship may participate in our elections.”

Armenia–Russia Relations

Pashinyan also underscored that Armenia’s relations with the Russia have never been and will never be in doubt.

“Our relations with the Russian Federation have never been and will never be questioned because, as I have already noted, these ties and relations are very deep and are not subject to debate.”

He added that the two countries continue to maintain traditionally strong cooperation in the energy sector.

“We are also cooperating in the field of energy, where we have traditionally strong ties and collaboration. I should say that we are now working very closely with the Russian side to develop new technologies, particularly new energy technologies, because these are developing very well in Armenia, including solar energy and other areas.”

Pashinyan noted that Armenia and Russia are also discussing the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

“As you know, we are also discussing with the Russian Federation the issue of building a new nuclear power plant. In these matters, we are fully transparent, because we do not hide the fact that we are discussing these issues not only with our Russian partners but also with other partners, as we are seeking the most beneficial offer for the Republic of Armenia.”