MOSCOW, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday Russia was greatly concerned about the arrests of opposition figures in Armenia, and reiterated that Yerevan would not be able to remain in a Moscow-led economic grouping as it seeks EU membership.
Ushakov added that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, early next week.
Under Pashinyan, who swept to power following street protests in 2018, Armenia has moved closer to the West and has distanced itself from Russia, which retains a major military base inside the South Caucasus country.
Since winning re-election in June, Pashinyan has pursued what his critics view as a wide-ranging crackdown on his fiercest opponents, including opposition politicians, church leaders and civil society groups.
“This conversation is taking place against a rather unusual backdrop, when in Armenia there have been what I would call mass arrests of opposition leaders, particularly those leaders who have advocated and continue to advocate strengthening the traditionally good-neighbourly relations between our two countries,” Ushakov told reporters.
“Of course, this policy pursued by the Armenian leadership is a source of great concern to us,” he said.
State prosecutors in Armenia on Tuesday detained Robert Kocharyan, a prominent opposition leader and a former president, and formally charged him with a slew of corruption-related offences during his time in office.
(Reporting by Vladimir SoldatkinEditing by Gareth Jones Editing by Gareth Jones)
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