Armenia Politicians Give their Opinions on Russia Elections and Backing Putin (or Not)

Major political parties and groups in Armenia don’t consider it proper to express an official position on backing one candidate or another in the March presidential elections in Russia.

Recall, on Feb. 8, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said, in his personal opinion, Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin’s victory would be in Armenia’s best interest. Furthermore, the Social Democrat Hunchukian Party (a member of the opposition bloc the Armenian National Congress) called for Armenians with Russian citizenship to back Putin in the upcoming elections.

Epress.am asked several Armenian politicians about their positions on the elections in Russia and particularly on backing or not backing Putin.

In Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun, or ARF-D) Supreme Council member Spartak Seyranyan’s opinion, having a position on elections taking place in another sovereign state is absurd.

“Dashnaktsutyun deals with problems in Armenia,” he said.

The question of backing Putin or not also wasn’t raised in discussions by the Prosperous Armenia party (BHK) and it’s unlikely that the party will have a specific position on this issue.

“Yes, each of us can have our own position, that position can be expressed, as did Tigran Sargsyan, but to make such a statement as a party, as in the case of the Social Democrat Hunchukian Party, is not honorable. BHK won’t make such a statement,” said Prosperous Armenia MP Naira Zohrabyan.

Discussing and having a position on this issue, according to Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) MP Hakob Hakobyan, is similar to discussing someone else’s personal life.

“I personally might want, for example, Poghos Poghosyan to be the US president; however, as a politician, I have no right to express and make a call for such a wish,” he said, noting that HHK has not discussed backing any candidate in Russia’s elections.

“We don’t interfere in another country’s internal affairs and we don’t consider it right to adopt such a position,” said Armenian National Congress (HAK) foreign affairs committee member Vladimir Karapetyan, in response to the question by Epress.am.

Heritage Party MP Anahit Bakhshyan said the statement made by Armenia’s prime minister, a high-ranking official, is not honorable.

“The Heritage Party is that party that understands that it doesn’t have a right to interfere in another country’s elections, so we haven’t discussed and won’t be discussing the question of making a statement [on the Russian elections],” she said.