The Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes as follows, in particular: The elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation have been scheduled for September 20, and, according to the Zhoghovurd daily’s information, the authorities’ circles of Armenia are already waiting with interest whether an invitation will be sent from Moscow this year as well to participate in the elections in the status of an observation mission.

Although no statement has been made on this topic yet on official level, behind the scenes of the [Armenian] authorities, according to information, they are closely following the signals coming from the Kremlin.

The issue is not only the elections; the presence or absence of an invitation can also be considered as a kind of unique indicator of the current state of Armenian-Russian relations. Let us recall that during the 2021 State Duma elections, the Armenian delegation had participated as an observation mission, effectively being included in the framework of the international assessment of the electoral process.

At that time, Armenian-Russian relations, although not without problems, had not yet reached the current level of tension.

Today, the situation is different. Political disagreements between Yerevan and Moscow, developments around the CSTO, as well as the observed coldness in bilateral relations give a new context to even such ceremonial invitations. If there is an invitation, it can be perceived as a signal to maintain dialogue.

If not, then it is unlikely to be considered a mere technical decision. It is also noteworthy that Armenia’s authorities, who in recent years have often spoken on democratic values and international standards of electoral processes, are once again willing to participate in the observation of the Russian elections.

Meanwhile, numerous international organizations have been raising questions about political competition, restrictions on opposition activities, and the transparency of electoral processes in Russia for years.

Thus, by September 20, Yerevan is waiting not only for election day, but, first of all, for a possible invitation coming from Moscow. And that invitation, regardless of its content, could become another political message in Armenian-Russian relations.