Zakharova: Armenian side was offered concrete steps on  stop lists

ArmInfo.  Moscow considers the ban on the entry of Russian citizens to Armenia  as an unfriendly step, as stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry Maria, Zakharova, during a weekly briefing on July 9 when  asked to assess  the denial of entry to Franz Klintsevich, former  State Duma deputy, senator of the Federation Council and chairman of  the Union of Afghan Veterans.

According to her, the topic of stop lists is touched upon not only in  bilateral contacts with the Armenian side, but also in public  comments.  "We comment on the topic of stop lists quite often. We  consider the ban on the entry of Russian citizens as an unfriendly  step that contradicts the allied nature of Russian-Armenian  cooperation. We have repeatedly urged our Armenian partners to stop  this vicious practice," the Russian diplomat noted.

She added that this issue was  discussed by foreign ministers during  the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in May. "The  Armenian side was offered concrete steps, so we are waiting for  Yerevan's reaction," Zakharova said.

When asked about the issues discussed during the meeting between  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Armenian  Ambassador to the Russian Federation Gurgen Arsenyan as well as any  planned visits between the parties,  Zakharova noted that the  dialogue, given the close ties between the two countries and peoples,  is multifaceted. She recalled that since the beginning of the year,  several high-level visits have already taken place between Yerevan  and Moscow and added that all upcoming contacts are announced after  they have been agreed upon. "We announce contacts and visits when  they have already been agreed upon and there is a mutual  understanding about the possibility of  their announcement. We will  definitely inform you in a timely manner as soon as we can," the  diplomat concluded.