Moscow reserves the right to discuss the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia and the future plans of the Armenian side with Yerevan, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, as reported by TASS.

“We [i.e. Russia] reserve the right to try to clarify with our partners, to actually discuss their plans [in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia],” Peskov said. The press secretary of the Russian president also noted that Russia and Armenia are close countries, and Moscow is very interested in the decisions of the Armenian leadership.

“Armenia is a country close to us, with which we have deep historical roots. A huge Armenian diaspora—more than 2 million people—lives here [in Russia]. Therefore, the orientations that the Armenian leadership chooses for itself are the subject of our great interest,” Peskov said.

During talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed hope that pro-Russian political forces in Armenia would be able to participate in the parliamentary elections in the country in June. The Russian leader also had noted that "many of them are detained, although they have Russian passports."