Russia views Armenia-Russia relations as either exclusive or nonexistent, but Armenia takes a different approach.

Axar.az reports, citing Armenian media, that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a briefing following the government meeting on July 30.

“As for the political dimension of these relations, I have already said that Armenia has decided to have alternatives, whereas previously they did not exist. This applies not only to economic alternatives but also to political ones,” he said.

He noted that Armenia has signed strategic partnership agreements with a number of countries, whereas such arrangements did not previously exist.

“That is where the problem lies. I cannot speak about Russia’s feelings, but I can say that Russia sees this as a problem. There is an approach according to which relations are either exclusive or should not exist at all. We do not accept such an approach. We say that relations are not exclusive, but they should exist. This is a legitimate position,” the prime minister stressed.