If Armenia chooses the path of European Union (EU), many Armenian families will lose touch with each other. Victor Vodolatsky, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, stated this in an interview with Lenta.ru.

The Russian MP noted that Russia’s “soft separation” with Armenia has almost no negative sides for Russia. He recalled that Russia supplies Armenia with energy resources at preferential prices, which harms the Russian economy. In addition, according to Vodolatsky, there are Russian food groups that are also supplied to the “fraternal republic” at preferential rates, providing additional income for local businessmen.

“Our [i.e. Russia’s] only loss is that during our shared hundred-year history, 50 percent of Armenians have lived on the territory of Russia. The Armenian people are fraternal for us. It is important for the Russian and Armenian peoples to maintain friendly relations, because it means constant contact, constant ties, and free movement,” the Russian lawmaker said.

Vodolatsky added that in case of joining the EU, Armenia will have to close the border with Russia, which is why many Armenian families will lose contact with each other.

At the same time, however, he expressed hope that there are still many politicians in Armenia who will remain loyal to the idea of statehood and will not allow relations with Russia to be severed.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements made during the parliamentary election campaign have caused a wide public reaction, writes Moskovsky Komsomolets.

During his remarks in Syunik Province bordering Azerbaijan, he stated that Nagorno-Karabakh has not historically been part of Armenia, thereby casting doubt on the meaning of this long-standing territorial dispute. According to Pashinyan, Nagorno-Karabakh could not be considered “Armenian,” since there was no stable infrastructure, such as schools, kindergartens or factories, and overseeing was exercised only by individual military personnel.

These statements were perceived as contradictory. A 2018 video quickly spread on social media, in which Pashinyan, immediately after coming to power, claimed the exact opposite, declaring that “Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] is Armenia, period!” Critics have accused the Armenian premier of hypocrisy and inconsistency.

Events are developing amid the cessation of the existence of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Since then, more than a hundred thousand Armenians have left the region, and Pashinyan has signed a declaration in which he recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh.