A pro-Russian former Armenian president has threatened his country with harsh measures from Moscow
Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan warned against the current government's flippant attitude toward possible harsh responses from Moscow. He believes the authorities fail to grasp the scale of the potential impact Russia could have, including tariff revisions and export blockages.
"It never even occurs to us that Russia could raise tariffs. We simply cannot imagine it... But if such a step is taken as part of a hybrid war, it will become a serious problem, primarily for our agriculture," Kocharyan warned.
He also criticized Yerevan's anti-Russian rhetoric, noting that Armenia itself has damaged relations with the CSTO, an organization whose importance is directly tied to Russia.
As a reminder, in the 2021 parliamentary elections, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party received 53.92% of the vote. Despite the Kremlin's active support, Robert Kocharyan's Armenia bloc received only 21.04%.
Earlier in Armenia, Kocharyan, considered a Kremlin ally, was accused of accepting a $3 million bribe. The statute of limitations on that case has expired. He was also cleared of charges of overthrowing the constitutional order. The case concerned clashes that occurred in Yerevan in 2008. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed during the dispersal of a demonstration. More than 200 people were injured.
