This is nothing short of a disgrace! Pashinyan follows Aliyev's tactics: there are people attacking Lavrov in Yerevan.
Author:
Andrei Levnyevtsev
May 21, 2025, 10:00 PM
The Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and his team keep creating troubles on their way to the West with their obstinate paranoia. During the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Yerevan, they orchestrated a provocation. Activists hung insulting banners targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin along the route from the airport to the center of the capital city, as well as near the Russian Embassy in Armenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. However, such farces have become routine, and fringe elements have always been present. The key point is that the perpetrators of this incident are close allies of Pashinyan, and according to sources, the cost of this ugly act was paid by the editorial office of a newspaper controlled by his family.
In the Name of the Republic Spitting at Neighboring Countries
"In the Name of the Republic" Party Chairman Arman Babajanyan eagerly sought provocations against Russia, only to be mired in the mess with his accomplices. When activists solemnly unfurled banners with Vladimir Putin's portrait and insulting words written in Armenian, Russian, and English near the Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, they did not notice that a military police vehicle was leading the government convoy ahead.
Such vehicles are typically used for escorting military delegations. In fact, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was heading to the capital at the time, and he might have been quite surprised by the "unique" way Armenians greeted him. The target of this "performance" – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – had not even arrived yet.
Meanwhile, Babajanyan himself held up placards with the same anti-Russian slogans, insulting Putin and Lavrov, posing for photographers near the square outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"From the disintegration of Armenia to the attacks by Azerbaijan on the Armenian border, from instigating incidents to directly participating in provocations – Russia is not only guilty but openly manipulates deepening relations with Azerbaijan at the expense of the lives and territories of the Armenian people. From now on, no Russian official should assume that people here will forget, remain silent, or be afraid upon entering Armenia. No, we remember. We won't stay silent. It's time to show our memory, dignity, and determination to indicate that Armenia is independent and sovereign." Babajanyan thus proclaimed his actions.
Police Monitored the Provocation Throughout, But Did Not Intervene // Screenshot of Babajanyan's social media post
To many Russians, the stance of Armenian activists seems absurd. Considering the extremely complex relationship between Russia and Armenia, especially after the provocation incident involving the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, how exactly do they talk about "deepening relations with Azerbaijan"?
Regarding the accusation of "betrayal" over Nagorno-Karabakh, Sergey Lavrov himself later responded. When asked by reporters whether Russian weapons were used by Azerbaijan to occupy Karabakh, he said, "The previous Armenian leaders never proposed recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent entity. However, Russian weapons were used to occupy seven undisputed regions of Azerbaijan, build defensive fortifications and battle lines, indicating its intention to control these territories long-term. Later, Yerevan handed over the disputed autonomy to Baku. Moscow has never violated any alliance obligations within the CIS framework. In fact, when Yerevan made this decision, Russia was completely unaware. But since then, the Armenians have taken a cautious attitude toward what happened, clearly understanding who was behind the agreement between Yerevan and Baku."
Oganess, a resident of Yerevan, told "Tsar's City": "We are surrounded by wolves and tigers: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran. Honestly speaking, without the friendship with Russia and the Russian military base in Gyumri, I think Armenia would no longer exist, just leaving the name 'Armenia'. Some Armenians resent Russia for losing Karabakh, but even Armenia itself has never recognized it. Besides, Russian peacekeepers stopped the war, which lasted only 44 days, and that's a miracle. I think these slogans are untimely. We have many Russian tourists, and even those Armenians who support Pashinyan and Europe still regard Russians as guests, smile and communicate with them, and no one speaks ill of them."
Like a "Shorn Deacon" Avoiding Conscription
Soon after, Yerevan police dismantled the anti-Russian placards and dispersed Babajanyan's rally near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs square. However, a rumor spread online that the suspicious activities of the "In the Name of the Republic" Party were actually tacitly approved by the upper echelons, as evidenced by the identities of the organizers of the provocation.
Arman Babajanyan prefers to participate in Armenian politics through American involvement. Screenshot: "Armenian TV Station"
Babajanyan lived in the United States for many years (he once attended the University of Southern California) and is considered a supporter of the pro-Western line in the country. He once led the opposition newspaper "Zamanak," published in California. One intriguing detail in his life is that he spent several years in prison for evading conscription. While in the U.S., Babajanyan was... a deacon of the Armenian Church. It is reported that after the scandal broke out, the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of North-West America stripped him of his clerical position.
Official statement from the diocese in 2009. Screenshot: Telegram channel "Artsakh"
"Arman Babajanyan used his deacon status and religious office to forge the official seal of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin and the signature of Metropolitan Teohike Tertullian, head of the diocese. Metropolitan Teohike Tertullian considers the above actions to be shameful and immoral, and therefore stripped him of his clerical position." The diocese's statement in 2009 reads.
Armenian media refer to Babajanyan as a "political fence-sitter." Before the "May Square Movement" in Yerevan and before Pashinyan became prime minister, he opposed Nikol (the former president), but once the street forces in the capital succeeded, Arman immediately changed his tune.
The difference lies in that the previous rulers utilized him without letting him get too close, while the "Nikol faction" included Arman under state protection. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that the Soros-Turkish-supported "velvet revolution" forces demanded Nikol promote an anti-Russian line and particularly focused on Arman Babajanyan, the standard-bearer of this line in Armenia. As a result, the draft-dodging Arman Babajanyan was able to meet with military leadership and talk about "serving the motherland." The Armenian newspaper "Yerkramas" pointed out.
Babajanyan with Pashinyan.
What is the "Yerevan Square Movement" Fighting For?
It is worth noting that there are reports that these placards were made according to formal instructions from the editorial office of "Eghekan Zhamanak" (The Armenian Times), related to the Pashinyan family. According to our information, 70% of the shares in the company "Daleskyzib" owning this publication belong to Pashinyan's father-in-law, Kim Mkhrtchyan, and the editor-in-chief of the paper is Anna Akopyan, the wife of the Armenian Prime Minister. The founder and former editor-in-chief of the paper is none other than Nikol Pashinyan himself.
Anna Akopyan, the wife of Pashinyan, is the editor-in-chief of one of the core newspapers in Armenia: a family publishing enterprise and the mouthpiece of the prime minister.
Although it cannot be immediately confirmed that the costs of the placard provocation indeed came from the accounts of "Eghekan Zhamanak," this fully aligns with Pashinyan's behavior pattern. Let us list a few facts from the recent political calendar:
On May 15th, during his negotiations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he stated that their goal was to deepen cooperation with the EU. This occurred in the context of multiple hints from the Kremlin that Armenia cannot "have it both ways" – simultaneously integrating into the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
A few days before Lavrov's visit to Yerevan, there were reports that Armenia's dependence on Russian arms supplies had dropped to 95%.
On May 9th, when Pashinyan was watching the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Colonel Altsren Ovanesian, Director of the Institute of Military Academy of Armenia and former spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, made remarks akin to "drinking Bavarian beer" during a live broadcast on Armenian National Television. In Colonel Ovanesian's view, if Hitler had occupied the Caucasus, Armenians would have benefited.
Has anyone told this "activist" that throughout World War II, Turkey was a passive ally of Hitler, and if the Third Reich had won, Armenians would have suffered misfortune? // Screenshot: "Armenian TV Station"
However, it cannot be said that all leaders of the Republic oppose Russia (and blindly follow Pashinyan). Ten days later, on May 19th, Speaker of the National Assembly Arlen Simonyan stated: "At present, Armenia does not discuss the possibility of withdrawing Russian military bases."
Why Did Lavrov Go to Yerevan?
In this context, the placard provocation incident is like a cherry on top of a cake – seemingly shouting at Lavrov (and Russia): "You're not welcome here." However, Foreign Minister Lavrov's visit to Yerevan was intended as a friendly gesture, clearly contradicting Pashinyan's policies.
Lavrov emphasized that Russia remains Armenia's main trading partner, with trade reaching $1.6 billion, and 96% of the trade is settled in rubles and drams. The foreign minister specifically noted that there are no signs of Armenia "Ukrainizing."
Sergey Lavrov answers journalists' questions after a press conference with Armenian colleagues.
"I see no reason for Armenia to 'Ukrainize.' Armenia is our ally, our friend. Armenia has not declared Russian language and culture illegal, nor has it deprived Russian speakers and others wishing to use Russian of their legitimate rights. Armenia has not passed laws like Ukraine to ban all of this. We have already listed these laws for our friends today. No country will ban non-official languages – as long as residents of the country use this language, it should not be banned." The foreign minister stated.
However, there are forces eager to see "Armenia Ukrainizing," and they are willing to provoke incidents. According to some reports, the "Russian House" in Yerevan may face suppression following the established scripts in Baku and Bishkek, where people were arrested on charges of espionage and recruitment for special military operations. The subsequent plot may be similar. A conspiracy theory suggests that Azerbaijan will soon launch an action to seize the Zangezur Corridor, and Russia's stance will be crucial in this matter. For Pashinyan, this may become an excuse to tear up the agreement regarding the Russian military base in Gyumri, thereby bringing the entire South Caucasus under NATO's sphere of influence.
Valery Korotvin, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies, told "Tsar's City" in an interview that closing the Gyumri base is Pashinyan's goal, set by Western global elites for him. In this political scientist's view, the Armenian prime minister is a figure controlled by European puppeteers behind the scenes, thus caring more about his own interests than the nation, ethnicity, and historical interests.
"He will execute all instructions from the global elites, constantly abandoning one position after another, while assuring the Armenian people that he is walking a multi-vector path, coordinating relations with Azerbaijan, Turkey, Europe, and Russia. But we know that this geopolitical nonsense will tear apart any country pursuing a multi-vector path." Korotvin emphasized.
According to him, Moscow has all the means to influence Yerevan, but is currently preoccupied with the situation in Ukraine. Globalists take advantage of this opportunity to fan anti-Russian sentiment throughout the entire post-Soviet space. They claim that Moscow is weak and on the verge of failure, and that Russia will collapse soon.
However, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated at a joint press conference with Sergey Lavrov: "The Republic of Armenia has not submitted an application to join the EU, nor has it started negotiations on this issue, so the problems in this area are not realistic."
So What?
Meanwhile, Stanislav Tarasov, director of the "Near East-Caucasus" Research Center, emphasized in his commentary for "First Russia" channel that Pashinyan himself may have become a pawn of his former partners. He said that Armenia clearly knows that no one but Russia will come to its aid, so it is attempting to turn to Moscow. Pashinyan's attendance at the Moscow Victory Day parade, Lavrov's visit to Armenia, and the planned visit of Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, to Yerevan all confirm this.
Lukashenko said a few "heartfelt words" to his Commonwealth of Independent States colleagues during the Victory Day parade. Video screenshot: "Russia 1 Channel"
"In fact, the two countries are trying to normalize relations, which is related to changes in the international situation. Therefore, regarding the placard incident, I suspect it was done by Pashinyan's former allies, who are dissatisfied with his so-called 'new direction' and want to make him fall into a scandal and provoke Russia to take certain specific actions. However, I did not sense any dissatisfaction from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov towards Armenia at his press conference." Tarasov pointed out.
This argument also makes sense because at least some Armenian elites clearly know what awaits them if Russia "abandons" them. Just the day before Lavrov visited the republic, former President Robert Kocharyan said that the deterioration of relations with Moscow must be urgently restored, which was not accidental.
However, it is worth noting that according to Armenian sources, "Pashinyan imitates Aliyev's tactics" – implying his disrespectful actions towards Russia. Indeed, these words were expressed obliquely through third parties, but the key point is that such matters, even if not mentioned in public, are already known to the "big players." After Moscow obtains corresponding evidence, it will certainly take this into account.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507117910725394995/
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