The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin, who was Russia’s official representative for the conflict in Ukraine, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Transnistrian conflict and the situation with Georgia, could be replaced by former Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin, reported Kommersant. Karasin will turn 70 years old in August this year and according to the Law 'On public service,' the extension of civil service is possible until one reaches 70 years of age, meaning that Karasin would need to step down from his position.

Volynkin graduated from the Moscow International Relations Institute in 1981 and has since worked in the Russian Foreign Ministry. He worked in foreign missions of the USSR and the Russian Federation in Yugoslavia, the USA, Serbia and Montenegro, Georgia and Macedonia. From 2009 to 2013, he was assistant to the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov (Deputy Director of the General Secretariat of the Ministry). From 2013 to 2018, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Armenia. In 2017 he was awarded the Medal of Honour for his service.

Volynkin has a controversial history when it comes to his activities in the Caucasian countries. The Georgian government already issued a statement that they will wait until the nomination of the new Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs is done before continuing the talks on trade and economic cooperation with Russia. As a reminder, Georgia and Russia restored trade and economic relations back in 2013 with the involvement of Karasin and Georgia’s Special Envoy to Russia Zurab Abashidze (the format was known as the Karasin-Abashidze talks). Volynkin on the other hand was declared a persona non-grata in Georgia in 2007 under the accusation of the former Georgian President Mikheil Sakashvili’s administration for conducting spying activities in Georgia.

Volynkin also made controversial statements during his mandate in Armenia. In 2014, he held an interview with the Russian newspaper Noyev Kovcheg (Noah’s Ark) where he criticized the pro western NGO’s in Armenia. “I am sure that Russia should be more active in demonstrating its presence in Armenia’s mass media. However, the NGOs working in Armenia and seeking to drive a wedge between Armenia and Russia should be dealt with using other methods as well. By the way, Russia wants to adopt a law to regulate NGOs activities. It is obvious that those acting against the Armenian-Russian friendship do not work for the good of either Russia nor Armenia,“ he said. Several Armenian NGO’s accused Volynkin of putting himself above the Armenian constitution and demanded an apology or his resignation from office.