Armenia appoints new envoy to Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Gurgen Arsenyan, a prominent Armenian pro-government lawmaker, has been appointed new ambassador to Russia, days after resigning from his parliamentary seat.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian signed the relevant decree on Wednesday. By a preceding decree the president recalled Vagharshak Harutiunyan, who had served as Armenia’s ambassador in Moscow since January 2022.

Arsenyan had been tipped to become Armenia’s next ambassador to Russia since last year. In October 2023, he himself confirmed that his appointment was awaiting Moscow’s approval, RFE/RL’s Armenian service reports.

Arsenyan’s appointment comes at a time when tensions between Armenia and Russia are mounting over security issues. Armenia has effectively frozen its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, accusing the Russian-led alliance of failing to protect its territorial integrity during recent border clashes with Azerbaijan.

At the same time, Yerevan has strengthened its military ties with Western nations, including France and the United States. Additionally, Armenia, which is also a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, has recently become more vocal about its potential bid to join the European Union.

Arsenyan, a 64-year-old veteran politician and affluent business owner, has been engaged in Armenian politics since the country gained independence in 1991. During this time, he was affiliated with several major political groups as well as led his own political party to win seats in parliament in 2003. In the 2021 snap parliamentary elections Arsenyan was again elected to parliament on the ticket of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party.

Unlike his teammates, Arsenyan, a member of the parliamentary foreign relations committee, has avoided criticizing Russia over the past year. Moreover, in his public remarks he would suggest approaching Moscow’s policies “with understanding.” “We should try to understand them and explain [our position] to them so that they can understand us,” he said on one occasion regarding a growing rift between Yerevan and Moscow over security issues. Earlier, however, Arsenyan would openly criticize Russia’s efforts to “undermine” Armenia’s progress in strengthening its security.

Last October, as ambassador-designate, Arsenyan also spoke against banning the retransmission of Russian state-controlled TV channels in Armenia when such an idea was floated by another pro-government lawmaker.