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Kremlin hopes Armenia will maintain order and stability

The Kremlin spokesman said drawing parallels between the current events in Armenia and the past developments in Ukraine is inappropriate

© AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. The Kremlin is satisfied that the situation in Armenia is not destabilizing and hopes that stability will be preserved and a political consensus will be reached, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"Now we see that the situation is not destabilizing, and we are satisfied," Peskov said, stressing that the events in Yerevan are a domestic affair of Armenia, which is Russia’s valuable partner.

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"We hope that order and stability will be preserved in the country and soon in the foreseeable future a political configuration will be shaped that will become a consensus for all forces representing the Armenian people," he said.

Peskov has said drawing parallels between the current events in Armenia and the past developments in Ukraine is inappropriate.

"I would not draw any parallels, because this is a totally different situation, and one can hardly draw direct parallels here," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters. According to Peskov, "of course, this situation [in Armenia] is yet to be analyzed, we are keeping a close eye on it."

"Now I can say that any associations with Ukraine are inappropriate here," Peskov stressed.

Putin has not held phone conversations with either Serzh Sargsyan, who stepped down as Armenia’s prime minister, or Karen Karapetyan, who is the acting head of government, according to Peskov.

"No, the president has not so far had [contacts with Sargsyan or Karapetyan]," Peskov said.

On Monday evening, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev held a phone conversation with Karapetyan, who earlier served as Armenia’s first deputy prime minister.

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Mass protests in Armenia

Armenia’s former president Serzh Sargsyan was elected as prime minister by the parliament on April 17. He tendered resignation on Monday after opposition protests in the country intensified.

Mass protests against his nomination began in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and other cities on April 13.

On Monday, Armenia’s opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan told a rally on Republic Square that he would continue talks on a peaceful power transition with acting head of government Karen Karapetyan.

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