Friday, September 4 2020 12:17

ArmInfo.On the morning of September 4, in front of the building of the National Assembly of Armenia, an action of citizens wishing to return to Russia started.   Some protesters note that they have families left in Russia with whom  they have been unable to reunite for several months due to closed  borders.

A number of protesters complained that in Armenia they have  to live with the families of their relatives, while on Russian  territory they have their own housing, as well as the opportunity to  earn money. For example, one of the protesters said that she arrived  in Armenia in early March for her sister's funeral, and after the  introduction of the state of emergency and the closure of the  borders, she cannot return. As an alternative to charter flights, the  protesters offer to give them the opportunity to travel to Russia by  land. According to them, they have been holding their protest actions  since August 12, but they have not yet received a clear answer. For  example, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan previously informed  them that negotiations were underway in this direction, but they were  not provided with more specific information.

Meanwhile, the head of the "Enlightened Armenia" faction, Edmon  Marukyan, noted in an interview with journalists that the problem of  citizens wishing to return from Russia to Armenia by land, on their  own vehicles, also remains unresolved. The Georgian side offers  citizens to use the bus, and to deliver the cars to the territory of  Armenia by auto transporter. For some, however, the cost of an auto  transporter was prohibitive. Marukyan noted that the currently  discussed legislative initiatives with the aim of introducing  quarantine in Armenia after the state of emergency are somewhat  blurred, which may lead to the continuation of the closure of the  borders. "I hope that during quarantine for RA citizens the  restrictive measures will be somewhat relaxed and they will be able  to leave the territory of Armenia," he said, adding that quarantine  restrictions must comply with the Constitution, and it would be  advisable not to spread them throughout the republic. Marukyan also  recalled that citizens of the Russian Federation are allowed to enter  Armenia if they have a negative test for coronavirus.