Pashinyan Changes Tradition: Republican Elite and Rita Sargsyan Attend Russian Holiday

The newspaper "Hraparak" reports: "On June 12, the Russian Embassy celebrated Russia's state holiday with great pomp at the 'Dvin' hotel in Yerevan. Many guests were present. Notably, there was significant representation from the current authorities, but not at the highest level. The Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, and Minister of Foreign Affairs were absent, while Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, and Deputy Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan attended, with the latter delivering a speech and congratulatory remarks on behalf of Armenia.

This year, Nikol Pashinyan chose to send written congratulations instead of attending in person, unlike last year when he visited the Russian Embassy to personally congratulate on the occasion of the Russian state holiday.

Traditionally, on this day, Armenian leaders have consistently attended the Russian Embassy to congratulate the ambassador. Instead, a large number of former officials were present, including Rita Sargsyan and the Republican elite." More details in today's issue of the newspaper.