Pashinyan Meets Putin Amid Opposition Claims of Political Purge

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan traveled to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for a two-day working visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. During the visit, Pashinyan is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a proposed referendum that would allow Armenian citizens to choose between alignment with the European Union or the Eurasian Economic Union. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin will present arguments for the vote, though he noted that the Armenian people must decide their own fate.

This diplomatic effort coincides with domestic turmoil in Armenia. Anna Grigoryan, head of the opposition Hayastan faction, accused Pashinyan of conducting a political campaign to neutralize former President Robert Kocharyan. Grigoryan characterized the National Security Service's detention of Kocharyan as a geopolitical move and alleged that Pashinyan is coordinating with Azerbaijani interests to pursue complete Turkish subordination.

While the government focuses on the strategic alignment of the state through a potential public vote, the opposition claims Pashinyan is intentionally worsening relations with Russia. Grigoryan asserted that Kocharyan remains a proponent of maintaining positive ties with Moscow, contrasting this with the Prime Minister's current trajectory.