Pashinyan replied to Simonyan`s posting about ``ungrateful`` Armenia

ArmInfo. The ally of Russia in Armenia is the Armenian people, not individual politicians, while the NGOs that are considered hostile to Russia have been working since the presidency of those whose loyalty no one doubted in Russia, RA  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with RBC,  answering the post of RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan about  ungrateful Armenia.

According to the head of the Armenian government, the post of  Margarita Simonyan about the Armenian- Russian relations caused a  sharp negative reaction in Armenian circles and in Armenia. Noting  this, Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that all the above claims are  untenable.

On July 18, Margarita Simonyan wrote a call to the Armenian  authorities on her Telegram channel. <In response to the long-term  goodness and protection that you received from Russia, you did not  recognize Crimea. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia.  Exclusively out of political revenge, you put Robert Kocharyan,  Russia's constant ally, in prison. You have flooded the country with  anti-Russian NGOs that are teaching young people on your territory  how to overthrow the government in Russia. You have become a  springboard for anti-Russian forces in the Caucasus, "she said. The  editor-in-chief of RT wrote that she was forced to express her  position by the "Internet troops" of the Armenian authorities. "After  all that you have done, Russia has every moral right to spit on you  and grind you," she concluded.

Armenia has not yet recognized the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.  Does this mean that we are not defending Nagorno-Karabakh? No>,   Pashinyan noted, commenting on the first thesis. But at the same  time, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are a single security space, and  this is a fact, he recalled. The Prime Minister noted that Armenia  has its own considerations for resolving this conflict, while  Azerbaijan has its own. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev constantly  makes statements that Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan, with which  Armenia categorically disagrees. Commenting on the claims for the  arrest of the country's former President Robert Kocharian, accused of  overthrowing the constitutional order in 2008 (due to the dispersal  of a rally against the election results in March 2008, during which  ten people died), Pashinyan noted that not individual politicians are  allies of Russia , but the whole Armenian people. 

"Russia should understand that Russia's ally in Armenia is not  Pashinyan, not Petrosyan, not Poghosyan, not Sargsyan, not Kocharyan,  the ally and partner is the Armenian people. This is a very important  nuance, "the prime minister said. According to him, many figures for  a long time presented themselves as the sole ally of Russia, but the  ally of Russia is the Armenian people. The Prime Minister stated that  Armenia and Russia have common strategic interests, regardless of  Pashinyan, Poghosyan, Petrosyan, Ivanov, Petrov or Sidorov. He added  that the citizens of Armenia should reckon with the aspirations of  the Russians, and the Russians - with the aspirations of the Armenian  people.

Responding to a complaint about the work of non-profit organizations,  the head of the Armenian government recalled that they began to work  much earlier than he came to power in 2018.

"They were established at a time when no one in Russia doubted the  pro-Russian aspirations of the Armenian government. All these  organizations were created during the time of Robert Kocharian, the  time of Serzh Sargsyan. If the latters were so pro-Russian, why did  they not close these organizations, and why did they suddenly become  anti-Russian since 2018? '' Pashinyan noted. Kocharian served as  president from 1998 to 2008, and Serzh Sargsyan from 2008 to 2018.