Russian President Vladimir Putin will decide later whether to congratulate Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his election victory, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, underlining that Moscow is waiting for the formal outcome of the vote before making any announcements. Commenting on the parliamentary election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated remarks made a day earlier that there had been reports of violations, while stopping short of offering a broader assessment of the vote or its legitimacy. Armenia's governing Civil Contract party won an election seen as a test of its handling of a peace deal with Azerbaijan and its growing turn to the West, despite what international election observers called blatant interference and pressure by Russia.
