Moscow condemns Armenia’s entry ban on Russian citizens as unfriendly move

Russia has sharply criticised Armenia for imposing entry bans on Russian citizens, calling the move a "hostile act" that runs counter to the allied nature of relations between the two countries.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova addressed the issue during a press briefing, stating that Moscow views the restrictions as incompatible with the spirit of Russia-Armenia cooperation, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“We consider the entry ban on Russian citizens as an unfriendly step that contradicts the allied nature of Russian-Armenian relations,” Zakharova said.

She emphasised that the Russian side has proposed specific steps to Yerevan aimed at resolving the emerging disagreements and is now waiting for a response.

Zakharova also noted that the issue of so-called “stop-lists” is increasingly becoming a recurring topic in bilateral discussions.

“This matter was raised during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Armenia in May,” she added, signalling that the dispute has already reached the highest diplomatic levels.

Zakharovaəs remarks come especially amid Armenia’s recent move to impose a ban on Russian citizens, including former senator Franz Klintsevich and pro-Russian commentators like Vladimir Leontyev and Margarita Simonyan.

By Khagan İsayev