Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said European Union partners are in Armenia to ensure that any action that could harm the country’s independence, sovereignty or peace does not succeed.

He made the remarks while commenting on the decision to invite an EU rapid response team, 1lurer.am reported.

“If the scale weighs Armenia’s independence or its very existence — whether there will be war or peace in Armenia, whether the country will be a semi-independent vassal or outpost or a normal state, whether Armenian citizens will live and work here or go abroad and participate in wars for other countries — then I believe that letter was not only logical but necessary,” Papoyan said.

When asked by journalists who threatens Armenia’s independence, the minister said the danger could come from forces whose center of interest is not Armenia.

“All those forces that are subjects of foreign states and whose center of interest is not the Republic of Armenia or its citizens — either they themselves are not Armenian citizens, or their children were not born in Armenia, and so on,” he said.

Papoyan also referred to former President Robert Kocharyan, noting that his grandchildren were born in the United States.

“You only say ‘Kocharyan, Kocharyan.’ Kocharyan was president for 10 years. Immediately after his presidency, his grandchildren were born in America. If he had created such a good country, why were his grandchildren born in America so they could become U.S. citizens?” the minister said.

Earlier, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that, at Armenia’s request, the European Union plans to deploy a special rapid response team to counter hybrid threats ahead of the country’s elections.