Yerevan /Mediamax/. Sasna Tsrer Party believes that "Armenia remains loyal to the colonial mentality of the former regime”.

The party has issued a statement today, which reads:

“On December 17, 2018 the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution proposed by Ukraine and a number of other countries on militarization problem of Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Black Sea.

The resolution calls for withdrawal of Russian troops from Crimea and urges Russia to cease the occupation of the Ukrainian territories.

66 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 19 voted against it and 72 abstained.

In a strange demonstration of loyalty to the colonial policy of the former regime, Armenia joined Belarus, Syria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Uzbekistan and others and voted against the adoption of this resolution.

Meanwhile, securing self-governance for Armenia, which includes dignified foreign policy aimed at the benefit of the national interests, was a key goal of the Velvet Revolution.

The first Republic of Armenia was occupied in1920-1921 and stripped of independence. Only one of the lost parts of the first republic regained statehood in 1991, which re-established Armenian authority there.

In these circumstances, dealing with the issue of de-occupation, Armenia voted in favor of occupation and thus legitimized it, essentially going against its own interests.

If there is a need to avoid confrontation with Russia, Armenia could have abstained, which is what 72 countries did, including EAEU and CSTO members Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, or not vote at all, like Azerbaijan.

We hope that the current Armenian government will carefully investigate why this vote was conducted mechanically in the colonial manner of the former illegitimate regime and make conclusions in terms of administration and foreign policy.”