Russian President Vladimir Putin will decide later whether to congratulate Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his victory in parliamentary elections, the Kremlin said today, stressing that Moscow is awaiting the official results of the vote before making any statements, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"It is important to wait for any final official results", stressed Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "We still prefer to wait for any official conclusions", he said, quoted by TASS.
Peskov explained that during the vote, reports of numerous violations had come from Armenia, which is why the official results are particularly important. Commenting on the parliamentary vote, the Kremlin spokesman repeated his remarks from a day earlier and refrained from making a broader assessment of the vote or its legitimacy, Reuters noted.
Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party won the election, seen as a test of its handling of the peace process with Azerbaijan and its growing drive to align with the West, despite what international election observers called "blatant interference and pressure from Russia," Reuters noted.