Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan on May 5 suggested that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan may ultimately decide against attending the Victory Day parade in Moscow, citing the possibility of falling ill with COVID-19.
Asked whether Pashinyan might change his mind and cancel the trip, Simonyan told reporters: “Anything is possible. He might get COVID, everyone might get coronavirus," Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.
"You’ve seen that many leaders – in India, for instance – have fallen ill and are not travelling,” he added.
His remarks come amid heightened concerns over the security of foreign delegations visiting Russia for the May 9 military parade. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier stated that Kyiv could not guarantee the safety of foreign officials attending the Moscow event.
Simonyan played down such fears, saying Armenia had no concerns regarding the prime minister’s security. “We see no problem with security, provided the prime minister makes a final decision to participate,” he said.
The speaker also declined to directly address Zelenskyy’s comments, saying: “One country’s leader says something to the head of another country… that’s their business.”
Despite the uncertainties, Simonyan noted that such events offer valuable opportunities for diplomatic engagement and stressed that Armenia must base its decisions on national interests.
Pashinyan has previously confirmed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he intends to attend the celebrations.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
Source: caliber.az
scorpion.az