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Political analyst Arman Ghukasyan has called for efforts to take Armenian-Russian relations to a “new constructive level”.

Speaking at a news conference in Yerevan on Monday, he rejected as disinformation the reports about widespread anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia.

“The situation is obviously overblown,” the expert claimed.

Ghukasyan highlighted that Russia remained Armenia's leading trade and economic partner. The trade turnover between the two countries increased by 77% in January-November 2023 alone compared to the same period of 2021 to exceed $4.1 billion, which is a record high number.

In the analyst’s words, some social and political forces pushing an anti-Russian agenda and defending Western models of the country’s development offer no clear arguments.

“The NGOs receiving foreign funding serve more the interests of external forces than Armenia’s national interests," he emphasized.

Commenting on the latest interview of Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin, Ghukasyan noted that Russia and Armenia were discussing new agreements on military and technical cooperation.

"Recently, Armenia and Russia also signed a framework agreement on the implementation of a set of measures to extend the lifespan of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant's power unit. Russia is ready to make further investments in this sphere. There is simply no alternative to Russia for the Armenian NPP," he added.