Armenia plans to appoint Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan, who oversees the Eurasian portfolio, as its next ambassador to Russia, according to local media reports.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan intends to recall incumbent ambassador Gurgen Arsenyan from Moscow. Several candidates are reportedly under consideration for the post, the Armenian newspaper Past.am reported, citing sources.
Sources indicated that Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is leaning toward recommending Safaryan for the role.
"Not only does Safaryan oversee the Eurasian desk, but he also maintains close ties with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as with political and diplomatic circles in Russia," a source said.
The report also noted that the deputy foreign minister advocates a multi-vector foreign policy.
Armenian media had previously reported that Pashinyan was dissatisfied with Arsenyan's performance and planned to replace him.
Neither the Armenian Foreign Ministry nor the PM's office has issued an official statement on the matter so far.
