It`s astonishing that statements about union state  are being  perceived as a call to renounce sovereignty:  Zakharova on  charges  against Gyumri mayor 

ArmInfo. I can't help but share my astonishment that  in discussions about the benefits of cooperation with Russia, someone managed to see calls to renounce the sovereignty of the country, as stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during a weekly briefing on  October 30,  when commenting on the charges brought against Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan.

"You know, I want to once again repeat what we discussed earlier  about the situation with Vardan Ghukasyan. The work of Armenia's law  enforcement system is, of course, an internal matter for the country  and its people. But the second thing I would like to say that I am  amazed that someone could see calls for the renunciation of the  country's sovereignty in discussions about the benefits of  cooperation with Russia," Zakharova noted. According to her, this  sounds particularly surprising given the numerous statements by  Armenian public figures, officials, and the Armenian leadership about  the advisability of joining the European Union, and Armenia's  adoption of a law in April 2025 to launch the process. "What do law  enforcement agencies in Armenia think about this? Have they already  provided an assessment or qualification on this matter, just for our  information?" the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson asked.

According to Maria Zakharova, membership in the European Union  "certainly entails significant limitations on sovereignty, and this  is stated there directly." "There's no other way to read it. Those  joining the European Union must renounce some sovereignty, for  example, when making foreign policy decisions.  They demand that  candidates, even at the initial stage, not their member states, but  their own candidates, for example, impose sanctions against those the  European Union has designated as its enemies, and so on and so forth.  Of course, this is a renunciation of sovereignty in the areas of law,  monetary policy, migration regime, and many other areas. However, for  some reason, no mention of criminal liability or criminal cases for  supporting European aspirations in Armenia is heard or seen. It's not  that we would like to see this, but simply that if such a practice  already exists-namely, examining statements by various members of the  public regarding calls for the alleged deprivation of Armenia's  sovereignty-then we must go further and analyze other statements from  the same perspective. "We are convinced that publicly discussing a  state's foreign policy and approaches to interaction with neighbors  is, in fact, a normal, healthy practice in any democratic society  where freedom of speech is respected," she noted.

A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that  Armenia's judicial authorities will be able to avoid a politicized  approach in the performance of their duties.  "Frankly speaking, it  seems to me that, as Vardan Ghukasyan said, I just wrote down the  quote: "Armenia's accession to a union state with Russia". But I want  to say that, for example, Armenia is a member of the CIS, the CSTO,  and the EAEU, which the Armenian leadership has repeatedly spoken  about and discussed the benefits it provides. They have also spoken  about the challenges, and also highlighted  the benefits that Armenia  and the Armenian people receive. How should this be viewed? As a  normal or abnormal statement? I would  like to know," Maria Zakharova  concluded.