Mirzoyan says Lavrov’s comments about Gyumri mayor could be ‘interference’ in Armenia’s affairs
Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has dismissed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov’s allegations that Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan is facing criminal charges over remarks advocating for a union state between Armenia and Russia.
‘The information by my very dear and respected colleague, Mr Lavrov, is perhaps somewhat inaccurate. There is no criminal prosecution in Armenia on such grounds for political activity. That information does not correspond to reality’, Mirzoyan said in parliament on Wednesday.
Lavrov offered his comment regarding the arrest of Ghukasyan, mayor of Armenia’s second-largest city, during his Tuesday press briefing.
‘Arresting him for expressing political views that are in no way aimed at undermining Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but rather at maximising its foreign relations for its own development, has certainly caused serious confusion and concern’, Lavrov said, according to RIA Novosti.
Ghukasyan said that he is in favour of a union state with Russia ‘on the principle of Belarus’, in April 2025, as a newly elected opposition mayor of Gyumri, nominated by the Communist Party.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
The criminal charges and arrests that Ghukasyan faced both before and after the Gyumri election in March 2025 did not include charges related to his calls for a union state with Russia.
Ghukasyan is currently being held in pre-trial detention following his arrest in October 2025 on corruption charges. Since then, his duties as mayor have been suspended.
OC Media
On Wednesday, Mirzoyan elaborated that in the case of political statements, criminal prosecution can occur ‘only if they contain threats or include calls that […] undermine the sovereignty or territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, or calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order’.
Mirzoyan dismissed the existence of such grounds for a criminal case and suggested that Lavrov’s remarks could be seen as interference in Armenia’s domestic affairs.
‘Even if that was the case, excuse me, speaking about it or commenting on it would constitute direct interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Armenia’, Mirzoyan said, adding, ‘Let everyone focus on their own internal affairs’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
