Medvedev warns of Armenia-Russia split

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and United Russia party leader Dmitry Medvedev has said that a break in Armenia's longstanding ties with Russia would have serious consequences for ordinary Armenian citizens.

According to Medvedev, the West views Yerevan only as a tool in its confrontation with Moscow and has no genuine interest in the well-being of the Armenian people, Vedomosti reported.

Medvedev also said that Western countries interfered in Armenia's election campaign.

“The inevitable severe consequences for ordinary citizens resulting from the rupture of ties built over decades are of absolutely no concern to the countries of the European Union,” the politician stressed.

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman also claimed that the West seeks to push out of Armenia's political arena all forces that support constructive relations between Moscow and Yerevan. He added that the United Russia party is concerned about the situation in Armenia, where the Prosecutor General's Office has requested that opposition Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan be stripped of parliamentary immunity. According to Medvedev, these actions, along with the widespread use of administrative resources, contradict the authorities' statements about their commitment to democracy.

On June 14, the final results of the June 7 parliamentary elections were published. Civil Contract received 726,819 votes, or 49.7456%, Strong Armenia won 340,006 votes, or 23.2710%, and the Hayastan Alliance secured 144,983 votes, or 9.9231%. The Prosperous Armenia party failed to pass the 4% electoral threshold, receiving 58,287 votes, or 3.9893%, and will not enter parliament.

Civil Contract will hold 64 seats (including three allocated to national minority representatives), Strong Armenia will have 29 seats (including one Assyrian representative), and the Hayastan Alliance will hold 12 seats.