“I Found It Odd”: Putin’s Assistant on Pashinyan’s Speech in Armenian

Yuri Ushakov, the assistant to the President of Russia, commented on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s decision to deliver a speech in Armenian at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek.

“He probably was aware that there is a possibility of translation from Armenian to other languages and delivered his speech in Armenian. This is rare. I doubt that anything like this has been done at meetings before,” Ushakov told Life correspondent Alexander Yunashov.

The Russian president’s assistant admitted that Pashinyan’s choice seemed unusual to him. “I found it odd, but nothing more,” said Ushakov.

He also emphasized that Pashinyan is proficient in Russian; however, Armenian is the official language of Armenia.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is currently taking place in Bishkek, where Nikol Pashinyan also held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.