Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Maria Zakharova has strongly criticized the statement by European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The latter, commenting on the results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, had claimed that the Armenian people allegedly made a choice in favor of a “European future” despite “heavy Russian pressure.”

Responding to the question of reporters as to how Moscow assesses such statements by Brussels, taking into account that Armenia does not even have the status of a candidate for EU membership, Zakharova noted that Kallas was lying again.

“It was impossible to expect anything other than another lie from Kaja Kallas. Understand, she is such a person, that is her essence,” the Russian MFA spokesperson stated.

According to her, it was impossible not to notice the active participation of European organizations in the Armenian parliamentary election campaign.

“Anyone who followed the agenda even a little could not help but see how the European Union is literally trying to oversee the course of the electoral phase with a manual regime,” Zakharova said.

Also, she listed a number of actions by European organizations that, in her opinion, indicate interference in the electoral process.

“Here are both the so-called ‘missions’ for rapid response to hybrid threats, and the massive presence of delegations in early May of this year, at the height of the election campaign, to organize political shows in Yerevan. Let’s not forget the calls of [European Commission president] Ursula von der Leyen on June 4, who was urgently raising money to support Armenia. Well, as the ‘cherry on the cake,’ the head of the European Union representation arrived in the [Armenian] republic before the vote was counted,” Zakharova noted.

According to her, Brussels, in order to achieve the desired result, has put aside its own principles.

“In short, in order to achieve the desired result, Brussels turned a blind eye to everything that they call ‘democracy, principles, and legality.’ They simply forgot and threw in the trash their own slogans about not interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and staying away from the electoral processes of sovereign peoples,” she stated.

Commenting on the Armenian parliament voting results, the Russian MFA spokesperson said that the level of support for the ruling party has decreased.

“We [i.e. Russia] said back on June 8: despite all the tricks of the current authorities and, first of all, the pressure they exerted, the rating of the [ruling] Civil Contract party has significantly decreased compared to the previous elections,” Zakharova noted.

Also, she claimed that the demand for developing relations with Russia remains in Armenia’s society.

“Among Armenia’s society, there is an obvious desire to maintain and consistently develop Armenian-Russian ties, since these relations bring real, not illusory, benefits to the Armenian people,” Zakharova said.

She questioned Armenia’s prospects for European integration and stated that Brussels does not offer the country real options for membership.

“I want to ask: when raising the issue of European integration, what exactly are they offering Armenia to join? They are offering Moldova to join Romania, and what will they offer Armenia? Whose membership will it be obliged to join?” the Russian MFA spokesperson asked.

According to her, European organizations have deliberately trapped Armenian society by creating a false illusion of choice and trying to contrast Russia and the EU.

“Even before the elections, European organizations were deliberately spreading misunderstanding among Armenians. They artificially presented the parliamentary elections as a fateful step that as if Armenia had to choose between the European Union and Russia,” Zakharova noted.

She described this approach as a shameless game.

“This is a blatant and ugly manipulation that has nothing to do with the real interests of the Armenian people. The goal is only one: to destroy Armenia from within, to antagonize and turn people against each other. They want to destroy the historical and economic ties of our countries, to spread their influence here, and to make Yerevan hostile to Russia,” Zakharova stated.

Also, the Russian MFA spokesperson recalled that Armenia does not even have the status of a candidate for EU membership.

“Against the backdrop of these statements by Kallas, Ursula von der Leyen and others, I would just like to remind just one thing: Armenia does not even have the status of a candidate for European Union membership, while Brussels is already announcing some kind of ‘European future’ [for Armenia],” Zakharova said.

She slammed the current state of the EU, noting that the latter is currently experiencing a serious economic crisis.

“Today’s European Union can offer its own partners nothing but economic stagnation, a senseless arms race, dangerous external political adventurism, and blind support for the anti-Russian course," Zakharova said.

In her opinion, European officials avoid talking about their own economic problems.

"Well, since they were calling Yerevan, why didn't they tell about their economic indicators? It would be interesting to hear. They could have spread a message about the ‘development’ of their economy, or rather, about its regression," the Russian MFA spokesperson said.

Also, she noted that it was precisely economic problems that prompted the West to take dangerous political actions.

"The West always closes its economic gaps at the expense of others, and it is precisely this lack of resources that prompted them to engage in extremely dangerous games both in Europe and in other parts of the world. Under the guise of developing democracy and supporting some liberal movements, they were simply trying to patch up their own economic cracks. But, well, they made a mistake in their calculations," Zakharova said.

According to her, the policy of sanctions and the incitement of conflicts have further destroyed European economies.

“By applying all these illegal trade sanctions and fueling the bloodshed that has erupted in the heart of Europe, they have brought their economy to a worse level. This is how the realities should be presented and told, with facts in hand,” the Russian MFA spokesperson concluded.