CIA Director, Russian Intelligence Chief Visit Armenia in the Same Week

Neither the CIA nor the US State Department has commented so far on what was the first-ever publicized visit to Armenia by a CIA director.

“My visit to Yerevan is definitely not connected with the arrival of my American colleague,” the state-run Russian news agency Sputnik quoted Naryshkin as saying. “But I don’t exclude that his visit is on the contrary connected with mine.”

Incidentally, Sputnik was the first to reveal Burns’ visit. It said that the CIA chief will stay in Armenia for several hours.

Tigran Grigoryan, an Armenian political analyst, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday that US and Russian security “experts” arrived in Yerevan in recent days for confidential discussions focusing on the war in Ukraine.

Burns, 66, is a former career diplomat who served as US ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008. He visited Moscow in his current capacity last November. He reportedly warned the Kremlin against invading Ukraine.

Pashinyan’s press office implied that Russian-Armenian relations were also on the agenda of his talks with Naryshkin. It cited the Russian intelligence chief as praising the “high-level political dialogue between Russia and Armenia.”

Naryshkin told Russian media outlets after the talks that Russia and Armenia have a “great deal of common tasks which need to be accomplished.” He also touted Russian-led alliances of former Soviet republics of which Armenia is a member.

“Besides, the Russian Federation has enough strength and resources to protect allies and friends in difficult times,” added Naryshkin.

Pashinyan spoke with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin by phone earlier in the day . According to the Russian government’s readout of the call, they discussed Russian-Armenian trade and the “implementation of large joint projects.”