On October 27, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia had formally requested Armenia to justify its decision to deny entry to two Russian nationals.
Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, blamed Western pressure for the decision and said Moscow was perplexed by it.
"We immediately applied to the Armenian side through diplomatic channels for official confirmation and explanation. We proceed from the premise that this kind of information, if confirmed, is difficult to qualify as a step consistent with the friendly and allied nature of our relations," Zakharova added.
"We were puzzled by such statements or reports. Remember that we are talking about the Russian State Duma deputy and the Russian media's editor-in-chief. "When we receive an official response from Yerevan, then we will decide our further actions and reactions," Zakharova stated, adding that both Zatulin and Simonyan advocate an overall strengthening of Armenian-Russian allied ties.
"I do not think there should be any doubt here. I have not heard any statements of a different nature from them. I would not like to see any artificial reasons in the current situation when the West intentionally tries to rock the situation in the South Caucasus and to drive a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan," Zakharova concluded.
Earlier, on October 26, Caucasus Watch reported that Margarita Simonyan, head of the Russian State Broadcaster RT, said she had been banned from entering Armenia, along with a senior Russian lawmaker. "Konstantin Zatulin, who has been a fierce supporter of Armenia for many years, has been banned from entering Armenia by the current leader of Armenia," Simonyan wrote on Telegram. "Me too, by the way," she added.
On October 25, Caucasus Watch reported that Konstantin Zatulin, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots, received an email to the official email of a State Duma deputy about the undesirability of his arrival in Armenia.
