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TEHRAN, May 8 - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian protest leader on his election as the country's new prime minister.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) – Russia has strong strategic interests in Armenia, including a military base, and had been watching the country's political turmoil closely.
Nikol Pashinian, who was named the new prime minister by parliament on Tuesday, has repeatedly said that he would not seek to change Armenia's cooperation with Russia.
Putin said in a telegram to Pashinian after his election that he counts on him to "aid the further strengthening of bilateral, allied relations between our countries."
Armenia's new prime minister has suggested that he will push for recognition of the sovereignty of the Nagorno-Karabakh region — one of Armenia's most difficult and volatile problems.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a separatist war in 1994. Fighting periodically breaks out between those forces and Azerbaijani troops stationed on the other side of a demilitarized zone.
In a speech to parliament on Tuesday preceding his election as premier, Pashinian said that his "revolution will lead to the de-jure recognition of realizing the rights of Karabakh to self-determination."
Any move to advance the region's sovereignty would likely be met with considerable hostility from Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey. Both those countries closed their borders with Armenia over the conflict, leaving Armenia with direct land access only to Georgia and Iran.
Source: AP
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