U.S. stresses Armenia's sovereign choice

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States supports “Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence, including Armenia’s right to determine its foreign policy and relationships,” a spokesperson for the United States Department of State said in comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Responding to reports of possible external interference in the June 7 elections and warnings voiced by American lawmakers, the State Department emphasized that Armenia’s political future should be determined solely by its citizens.

“We are aware of media reports regarding external interference in Armenia’s political processes. The people of Armenia have the right to choose their leadership and build their future,” the State Department spokesperson said.

The U.S. foreign policy agency also highlighted the deepening cooperation between Yerevan and Washington, as well as the importance of the TRIPP project, whose framework agreement was signed on June 4 by Armenia’s foreign minister and several days earlier by the U.S. secretary of state.

“As demonstrated by the secretary of state’s recent visit to Yerevan, TRIPP has key long-term significance for bringing peace and prosperity to Armenia and the South Caucasus,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier, while responding to questions from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio emphasized the Trump administration’s concerns regarding Russia’s actions toward Armenia.

“The Russians are not particularly pleased with our engagement. I believe there is evidence that they would like the current prime minister to lose the election because of the growing relationship with the United States,” Rubio said.

While noting that U.S.-Armenia relations have reached an unprecedented level, Rubio stressed that Washington’s goal is not to distance Armenia from other partners but to support its ability to pursue an independent foreign policy.

“Simply put, we are not there to undermine Armenia’s sovereignty. We are not asking them not to be friends with other countries. We simply want to have relations with them,” he said.

The secretary of state’s remarks came amid reports alleging that Russia had intensified efforts to prevent the re-election of Nikol Pashinyan.

According to a Reuters investigation published in late May, Moscow was concerned that a victory by Pashinyan could strengthen Armenia’s policy of closer ties with the West, further reducing Russian influence in the South Caucasus.

Citing five officials from Western intelligence services and several documents, Reuters reported that the alleged Russian campaign included efforts to strengthen the positions of candidates viewed as close to the Kremlin and discussions about a plan to transport Armenians living in Russia to Armenia in support of Pashinyan’s opponents.

According to the report, Russian authorities estimated that transporting 100,000 voters to Armenia would require approximately $50 million. Reuters noted, however, that it was unable to determine whether such a plan had actually been implemented or whether it would have been sufficient to narrow the substantial gap between leading candidates.