Saturday, March 18 2023 15:57

ArmInfo. This week of Russian-Armenian relations began with the scandalous press conference by Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan, who shifted all responsibility for the life of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh unto Russia and at the same time actively whitewashed his own experiments to ban entry into Armenia of her Russian friends, Konstantin Zatulin, a member of the RF State Duma, said. 

"It is a pleasure to know that, despite all the troubles, the  Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary commission gathered in  Tsakhkadzor toward the weekend! The MPs discussed secure topics,  without even attempting top address acute issues," Mr Zatulin said. 

He is not surprised by the behavior of the MPs of Armenia's ruling  party. But he feels ashamed of his workmates from the Russian State  Duma, who "remain indifferent to the 'black list' of Russian MPs and  journalists in Armenia thereby blessing the Armenian authorities'  impunity. Years before, they turned a blind eye to the same trick by  Ukraine, Azerbaijan and others," Mr Zatulin said. 

He is the first Russian MP prohibited from entering Armenia since the  establishment of Armenian-Russian diplomatic relations in 1992. 

"And since the ban was imposed, Vice-Speaker of the Council of  Federation Yuri Vorobyev has not found a single minute to inquire  about or comment on this story - either in Russia or in Armenia.   

"It is not his headache. A real contrast with Nikolay Ryzhkov! We  worked at this inter-parliamentary commission together for years. We  have no self-respect, so who is going to respect us?" 

At his March 14 press conference, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan  commented on the ban on the entry to Armenia imposed on a number of  Russian public and political figures. "These people must respect  Armenia and its democratically elected authorities," he said.