The ministry said Arsenian received its For Cooperation badge of honor from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin “for his contribution to the development and strengthening of Russian-Armenian relations.” The two men also discussed “a number of issues on the bilateral and regional agenda,” it said in a short statement.
Armenia’s traditionally close relationship with Russia has steadily deteriorated in the last several years as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian sought to reorient his country towards the West. The process accelerated this spring when Moscow began pressuring Yerevan to quickly choose between seeking to join the European Union and remaining part of a Russian-led trade bloc.
Some Armenian media outlets claimed this summer that Arsenian has objected to Pashinian’s pro-Western foreign policy and will lose his post as a result. The ambassador dismissed those “gossips” in late August. The Hraparak daily insisted last month that his dismissal is a forgone conclusion.
“Our sources say that a special farewell event for the ambassador will be organized at the Russian Foreign Ministry in the near future,” it wrote. “Although the Russian side initially had certain reservations regarding Arsenian, they subsequently found common ground, which, in all likelihood, became the reason for his dismissal.”
A wealthy businessman, Arsenian was posted to Moscow two years ago despite having no diplomatic experience. The 66-year-old had held seats in Armenia’s parliament for much of the previous 24 years. He joined Pashinian’s political team after supporting former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Robert Kocharian during their tenures.