Pashinyan teases Putin about 'excess' of democracy in Armenia
Photo: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noted that his country has no political prisoners and that social media are free, according to News.am.
He noted that municipal elections are effectively held twice a year in Armenia. At the same time, some residents even complain about this level of political activity.
"We have quite a lot of our citizens — not a very large number, but there are citizens who think that there is too much democracy in Armenia, but this is a matter of principle for us," the head of the Armenian government added.
He also stressed that social media in Armenia is "100% free" with no restrictions. At the same time, there are no "participants in the political process" in prisons.
Pashinyan separately pointed out that parliamentary elections will soon take place in the country, and only citizens with exclusively Armenian passports can participate.
"With all due respect, people with Russian passports, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, cannot be candidates for members of parliament or candidates for prime minister," the Armenian prime minister said.
Dictatorship in Russia
Pashinyan made this statement just weeks after Telegram was blocked in Russia.
Instead, Russians have effectively been forced to use a single alternative in the form of the Max messenger, where the Kremlin actively spreads its propaganda.
Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service recently reported that the Kremlin leader’s approval rating has been rapidly declining lately.
