Former Armenian President (1998-2008), candidate for Prime Minister from the opposition bloc “Armenia“ (Ayastan) in the June parliamentary elections in Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, believes that the planned visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Yerevan on May 26 is part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's election campaign.
“My impression is that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Armenia is part of this election campaign. That is my impression. They want to do everything to ensure that Nikol Pashinyan does not lose these elections“, Kocharyan said in an interview with journalists during his campaign in the Vaitsdzor region of Armenia. The meeting was broadcast on local TV channels.
According to the former president, the US has no serious interests in Armenia and Washington is simply seeking to control the border with Iran and "hurt Russia". "Let's do everything possible to ensure that Turkey replaces Russia in our region. Is this in our interest? Of course not," Kocharyan said.
On May 25, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced Rubio's visit to Yerevan, where he will meet with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. After the meeting, bilateral documents are scheduled to be signed, and both sides will issue press releases. The White House has not yet announced Rubio's visit to Armenia.