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Deepening Armenia-West relations serve national interests, not anti-Russia — PM's party

Talking about banning the Mir payment system in Armenia, Vagarshak Akopyan said that this is an "exclusively economic" decision, adopted not by the government, but by "the banks acting in the country"

YEREVAN, April 1. /TASS/. Armenia's strengthening relations with the West is not aimed against any third parties, especially Russia, a member of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, deputy head of the permanent parliament commission on regional issues and Eurasian integration Vagarshak Akopyan told a briefing.

"When Armenia strengthens its relations with a country, they are not targeting any other nation, especially Russia, which is our ally. We are deepening our ties with Western countries only to develop our economy and reinforce the country’s security. We are acting for the good of the country," he noted.

Talking about banning the Mir payment system in Armenia, Akopyan said that this is an "exclusively economic" decision, adopted not by the government, but by "the banks acting in the country."

Earlier, the Armenian government reported that a joint meeting involving Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was scheduled for April 5 in Brussels. According to Armenian politicians, the event will focus on "reinforcing Armenia’s stability.".

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Middle East conflict

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