Amidst a week of anti-government protests in Yerevan and elsewhere in Armenia, the website of embattled Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan today issued a statement that the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission have formally congratulated Sargsyan on his April 17 election.

The statement says that Mr. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, wrote the following:

“We look forward to continued cooperation with you in your new position, particularly on the implementation of the new Agreement, including with a view to further consolidating democracy, strengthening rule of law and protecting human rights. In this context, we trust that Armenian authorities will do everything to respect the right of citizens to exercise freedom of assembly in a peaceful manner and in accordance with the law.”

Photo (from left): Serzh Sargsyan, Donald Tusk