June 6, 2025 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

Matviyenko’s visit to Armenia

Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly, Valentina Matviyenko, is in Yerevan on an official visit. Pro-Western forces in Armenia held a protest outside the parliament building, chanting “Traitors,” “Murderers,” “Fascists,” and “Get out.” This is the second time a high-ranking Russian official has received such a reception in Armenia. On 20–21 May, similar protests accompanied the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

This morning, police forces were deployed around the National Assembly building. Tensions rose when a group of people holding posters about the “century-old friendship” between Armenia and Russia also appeared. Verbal altercations periodically broke out between the two groups, but no physical clashes occurred.

During her visit, Matviyenko paid tribute to the victims of World War II at Yerevan’s Victory Park. She also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd — unlike Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose visit sparked public criticism when only a wreath was sent on his behalf. In response to the backlash, a spokesperson for Armenia’s Foreign Ministry clarified that Lavrov’s visit was a working one, not an official visit, and therefore a memorial visit was not required by protocol.

“Armenia no longer considers Russia its ally” – protest participant

Among those protesting outside the parliament building was Arman Babajanyan, leader of the “For the Republic” party. According to him, the purpose of the protest was to demonstrate that Armenia no longer sees Russia as an ally:

“Russia is waging a hybrid war against Armenia. And wars are waged by enemies. They should no longer come here as if it were their own territory. They must understand that they need to think twice before visiting.”

Babajanyan added that Armenia’s allies can only be those countries that “recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, its territorial integrity, its democratic future, and its right to develop, be secure, capable of defence, and resilient.”

Matviyenko welcomed by Armenian parliament speaker who harshly criticises Moscow’s policy

The Speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly welcomed Valentina Matviyenko at the airport with flowers. Prior to her arrival, Alen Simonyan explained to journalists why he had decided to greet her in person:

“I promised her I would come to meet her. She asked me, ‘Didn’t you meet Madam Pelosi [then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives] at the airport?’ I replied, ‘When you come, I’ll be happy to welcome you too.’”

Alen Simonyan has on multiple occasions strongly criticised Russia’s stance on Armenia. The Speaker of Parliament even claimed that the “northern neighbour” is spending vast sums on a hybrid war against the country:

“Armenia is facing a hybrid war that occasionally intensifies. At such times, there are attempts to change the government in Armenia, and protests are announced on Russian television channels. I want to warn that in 2026 [when parliamentary elections will be held], this process will intensify even further. But I’m not afraid to say that this will have the opposite effect. The current government’s approval rating will double — and we are grateful for that.”

According to the Speaker, Armenia’s efforts to strengthen its statehood and independence are unwelcome to those who believe that “Armenia must always be dependent on some centre, and must always have a ‘big brother’ figure.”

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Alen Simonyan stated that Russia will have to make “enormous efforts” to convince the Armenian people of its sincerity.

Official summary of Matviyenko’s meetings in Yerevan

According to the parliament’s press office, during her meeting with Speaker Alen Simonyan, Valentina Matviyenko expressed her satisfaction with the resumption of political dialogue at the parliamentary level. Simonyan, in turn, noted that such reciprocal visits are important for the development of bilateral relations.

A broader-format meeting was also held at the National Assembly, where participants discussed political, economic, educational, and cultural aspects of the bilateral agenda, as well as the regional situation.

Matviyenko and Simonyan then jointly opened the 39th session of the Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of Russia and the National Assembly of Armenia. The session was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The Chairwoman of the Federation Council also took part in the 10th Armenia–Russia Interregional Cooperation Conference, which focused on the development and strengthening of intergovernmental and intercommunity relations between the two countries.

Valentina Matviyenko also met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. According to the Prime Minister’s office, during the meeting she reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to continue cooperation with Armenia based on mutual respect.

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“Not everything is cloudless or smooth” – Armenian Foreign Minister on relations with Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan described current Armenia–Russia relations as “healthy and partnership-based.” Speaking in parliament the day before, he noted that both sides are striving to ensure that “the commitments documented between the two countries are fully upheld.” According to him, Armenia and Russia cooperate closely within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which benefits Armenia:

“But that doesn’t mean everything is cloudless or smooth — of course not. There are problems, there are serious issues on which our Russian partners have their own positions and interpretations of events, their own explanations for how things happened. For us, the truth is completely different. We see fault on their side, and perhaps they see it on ours. For our part, we are convinced we are in the right.”

Tensions in Armenia–Russia relations peaked in September 2022, following Azerbaijan’s incursion into Armenia’s sovereign territory. Instead of fulfilling its treaty obligations to protect the territory of its strategic ally, Moscow and the CSTO military bloc it leads stated that the border had not been demarcated. In response, Armenian authorities announced they were freezing participation in the bloc, arguing that allies who do not recognise Armenia’s borders and their zone of responsibility have invalidated the alliance. In recent years, Armenia has refrained from attending CSTO summits and joint military exercises. Additionally, the country has not paid its membership fee for 2024.