A Matter of Taste: Armenian FM on EU and Turkish Statements

ArmInfo.Opposition representatives' claims about the European Union and Turkey's interference in Armenia's internal affairs are manipulations, as  stated by RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a government session in parliament on January 21, commenting on a question from  Artur Hovhannisyan, Secretary of the ruling "Civil Contract" faction.

According to the Minister, unfortunately, such manipulations have  become commonplace in the country's internal affairs. Mirzoyan  anticipates that these manipulations will persist in the next five to  six months.  However, when addressing the details of the issue, the  Minister noted that in this case, "one can debate about tastes."  According to the Armenian Foreign Minister, in her statement, the EU  High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has  merely expressed support for the democratic reform process in Armenia  and democratic elections, which is something to be appreciated.

As for the statement by the Turkish Foreign Minister, the Armenian  Foreign Minister noted that it aims to support the establishment of  peace and security in the region and the efforts of Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan to normalize Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.  Essentially, as Mirzoyan noted, the statement calls on Yerevan and  Baku to continue the peace process. "What's wrong with that? I don't  think so," the Armenian Foreign Minister noted, adding that it is  difficult to discern any intention to interfere in Armenia's internal  affairs in these statements. Another issue is that media outlets  owned by some opposition figures may have different views and  approaches.

Mirzoyan emphasized that two parallel processes to normalize  relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan are currently underway, and  significant progress has been made in both areas. In both cases,  there are discussions on potential next steps to normalize relations.  These are two different processes, although objectively the  connection is obvious.

Recall , in mid-December last year, EU High Representative for  Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the  European Commission Kaja Kallas stated that Armenia had asked the  European Union for assistance in preventing external interference  ahead of the country's next parliamentary elections, scheduled for  June 2026. According to her, the foreign ministers of EU member  states would discuss Armenia. "Elections will be held in Armenia next  year. Today, we will discuss how we can assist Armenia in this  matter. Armenia has asked us for assistance in preventing external  interference," Kallas noted, according to media reports. Kaja Kallas  had previously stated that Russia had intensified its disinformation  campaign ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections in Armenia. She  also announced that the EU would provide Armenia with 15 million  euros to counter external threats. In turn, Turkish Foreign Minister  Hakan Fidan previously stated that Ankara would like the Armenian  authorities' current policies to continue in the name of establishing  peace in the region. The Armenian opposition had assessed both of  these statements as interference in the country's internal affairs.