PM office explains ban on party member's entry into Armenia Armenian PM office responds

The Armenian prime minister's office has explained why Murad Papazyan, a member of the ARFD [Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun] Bureau and co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, is barred from entering the country.

The decision on the ban was made on the basis of a number of paragraphs of Article 8 of the law "On Foreign Persons", the Armenian media quotes the PM office commentary as saying, according to Caliber.Az.

"In June 2021, Papazyan was one of the organisers of the attack on the motorcade of Armenian Prime Minister [Nikol Pashinyan], who was on an official visit to France. The protesters threw various objects at the motorcade, and the situation was resolved only by the efforts of the French police and security forces," the explanation says.

The government also stated that not only Papazyan but also other organizers of the attack were banned from entering Armenia.

At the same time, the Armenian authorities have never been against peaceful actions.

The relevant paragraphs of the aforementioned article of the law "On Foreign Persons" state, in particular, that foreigners are prohibited from entering if there are reliable data on their carrying out such activities, participation in such activities, organisation or membership in such an organisation, the purpose of which is to harm state security, overthrow the constitutional order, or weaken the Republic of Armenia's defence capability.