VALLETTA, Malta (Azatutyun) — In a move that could add to tensions between Armenia and Russia, a senior Armenian official attended peace talks initiated by Ukraine and met with the chief of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s staff in Malta over the weekend.
Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, was among representatives of more than 60 countries who gathered on the island to discuss Zelenskyy’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 Zelenskyy’s office, thanked Grigoryan 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 Zelenskyy’s first-ever meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held during the European Union’s October 5 summit in Granada.
