Thursday, March 16 2023 11:46

ArmInfo.Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin is accusing Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan of lying. 

"Yesterday, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan wished to comment on  his untiring efforts to ban the entry to Armenia for the Armenians  and Armenia's friends he has a dislike for. He was asked about  Margarita Simonyan, Aram Gabrelyanov, and an uncertain number of  persons, including me. A full list has not been published. Mr  Pashinyan told a lie. By tradition. It turns out that 'they', that is  we, would not be allowed to enter 'their Homeland without visas' if  they had done 'even 1% of what they did toward Armenia.' toward their  own Homeland [Russia]," Mr Zatulin wrote.  

"So what did 'they' do?

"I have my own list. I am not Armenian nor am I an Armenian national  or have ever been one. But over 30 years of my political and public  activities as an MP I have remained committed to historical memory,  friendship between the Russian and Armenian peoples, support for the  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Armenia itself has never recognized. For  example, in 1995, I authored a resolution on the Russian Federation's  recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Or, more  recently, in 2018, I founded the Russian-Armenian 'Lazarev Club' and  in 2021 I organized the vaccination of the Nagorno- Karabakh  population against coronavirus, and so on," Mr Zatulin said.  He has  many friends in Armenia. 

"However, according to Mr Premier, my friends are the wrong people.  By the way, after imposing a ban last year, he sent Armenia's  ambassador to me in the hope of 'forcing me into making friends' with  the right people. Poor Mr Ambassador! But all that we could hear  yesterday while Mr Pashinyan was puitting forward his claims against  'some', including me, was nonsense about 'some' demanding that  Armenia's government keep its promise to provide a corridor," Mr  Zatulin said.  

According to him, last year an Armenian reporter phoned him and asked  "Why is Russia demanding that Armenia provide a corridor to  Azerbaijan via Zangezur?" 

"I had to tell him that it was not Russia at all - it has no need for  any corridor between Turkey and Azerbaijan. It was the incumbent  Armenian government's promise to 'unblock communications', which was,  particularly, incorporated in the protocol signed with Azerbaijan in  the West. That is, we are not the ones you should turn to over any  corridors. That's all! One has to be an idiot or Pashinyan to claim  that I am demanding that Armenia's government open a corridor via  Armenia's territory.

"The real reason is Nikol Pashinyan's dislike for me as well as for  others. Nikol's conviction is 'Armenia is I!' Well, Louis XIV had at  least some reasons to think so, but what reasons does Pashinyan have?

"As we know he declared 'Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenia. Full stop!' And  is he a success?," Mr Zatulin wrote. 

In her turn, Margarita Simonyan stated that she is not going to  arrive in Armenia as long as Nikol Pashinyan remains in power.  "Armenia's premier has sold and betrayed all of Armenia's interests  and is going on to," she said.