"Ayakve" and "Mother Armenia" held a protest in Yerevan.

Protest participants in Yerevan accused the European Union of destroying the "last remnants of freedom in Armenia" and supporting dictatorship.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", today the Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called the results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia a reflection of citizens' focus on the European path and promised, in addition to financial support, to open the European market to almost 99% of Armenian agricultural products, as well as about 90% of beverage exports. However, she did not specify the approximate timelines for visa regime liberalization.

The arrival of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Yerevan effectively encourages authoritarianism and legitimizes the persecution of opponents of the current Armenian government. This was stated on July 2 at a joint protest by the movements "Ayakve" and "Mother Armenia" outside the government building by a representative of the "Ayakve" initiative, Menua Sogomonyan.

He directly linked the policy of European officials to a blank check for harsh internal repression in the country, addressing the European guest.

"Madam von der Leyen, before coming here, you were in Baku and shook hands with a man whose hands are stained with blood, whose actions have caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their homes and be expelled from their millennia-old cradle. And today, with your visit and diplomatic gestures, you encourage authoritarianism in Armenia. You encourage the arrest of people for freedom of speech and their activities. Free speech is not a crime!" - the publication News.am quotes Sogomonyan.

According to the opposition member, it is precisely because of such external approval from the West that the law enforcement system in Armenia has ceased to perform its direct duties, fully switching to suppressing the opposition.

Sogomonyan also called on all opposition forces to consolidate, noting that there should be no division in the issue of protecting political prisoners. "I urge the entire opposition to unite. In the matter of political prisoners, there can be no division into 'ours' and 'theirs'. This is a common struggle for the rights of every citizen," he noted.

"We want to convey our voice to you, so you know: including with your approval, the law enforcement system in Armenia is not dealing with crime today. The number of murders and crimes in the country is rising because law enforcement is overloaded with fabricating cases against opponents of the government. All those who speak of freedom, of constitutional rights, who defend law and order, are currently in prison. And these repressions affect both former and new political forces. Freedom for all political prisoners!" - concluded Menua Sogomonyan, addressing the head of the European Commission.

According to political scientist Stepan Danielyan, international structures effectively "act as sponsors of the current regime" and turn a blind eye to legal lawlessness in order to promote their own interests in the region.

"This dictatorship has specific external patrons. And one of them is currently here in Yerevan - a woman named von der Leyen, who presents all this lawlessness as a defense of democracy. But the 'democracy' that is being offered to us is its end. The European Union, for its geopolitical goals, is today simply destroying the last remnants of freedom in our country. Our main task is not to be deceived, to tear the masks off these international officials, and to return Armenia to a constitutional path," - stated Stepan Danielyan at the rally.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the first Armenia-EU summit, which took place in Yerevan on May 4-5, gave Moscow media a reason to accuse Pashinyan of "betrayal" and an anti-Russian course. Such rhetoric was also held by Russian officials: for instance, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called the summit participants, including Pashinyan, "mindless Russophobes."