Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, was among representatives of more than 60 countries who gathered on the island to discuss Zelenskiy’s 10-point plan to end the war with Russia. The plan calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the two-day meeting as a “blatantly anti-Russian event” that has “nothing to do with the search for a peaceful resolution.”
Andriy Yermak, the powerful head of Zelenskiy’s office, thanked Grigorian for his participation when they met on the sidelines of the event. A statement by the office said Yermak praised “Armenia's decision to join the group of states supporting the Ukrainian Peace Formula.”
“The head of the Office of the President confirmed Ukraine's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Armenia, particularly in the context of European integration,” added the statement.
Yermak also spoke of “a new context” in Ukrainian-Armenian relations, pointing to Zelenskiy’s first-ever meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held during the European Union’s October 5 summit in Granada.
The two leaders spoke in the Spanish city one month after Pashinian’s wife, Anna Hakobian, visited Kyiv to attend the annual Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen held there. Hakobian also delivered Armenia’s first humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
The Russian Foreign Ministry listed Hakobian’s trip among “a series of unfriendly steps” taken by Yerevan against Moscow when it summoned the Armenian ambassador a few days later.
Russian-Armenian relations have deteriorated further since then. Pashinian last week again accused Russia of not honoring its security commitments to Armenia and defended his efforts to “diversify” his country’s foreign and security policies. He made clear, though, that Yerevan has no plans yet to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Armenia.
Incidentally, neither Grigorian nor his office issued a statement on his meeting with Yermak as of Monday evening. Grigorian posted on his Facebook page instead readouts of his meetings with other foreign officials attending the Malta talks.