YEREVAN. – Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party Chairman, former FM Raffi Hovannisian—who was declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote—, along with his wife and eldest son, left for Moscow on Thursday morning, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports.  

“Heritage’s representatives formally confirmed this information. It is a one-day visit; Hovannisian will return [to Armenia] today [Friday] at 4pm.

[But] Heritage’s members could not present more details on the unexpected visit of their leader. 

But late in the evening yesterday [Thursday], 168.am, citing sources in Moscow, noted that Raffi Hovannisian met in Moscow with Vladimir Chernov—the head of the Department of Cultural Ties with Interregional and Foreign Countries  of the RF [that is, the Russian Federation] Presidential Administration—who is considered to be one of the key officials that is actively engaged in the Eurasian and Customs Union projects,” Haykakan Zhamanak writes.