Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Armenia’s possible introduction of a visa regime for Russian citizens would work not against Moscow but against Yerevan itself.
“If Armenia suddenly introduces visas as well, it will introduce them not against us but against its own citizens,” Zakharova told reporters, according to RIA Novosti.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed that such a decision would also affect Russian citizens who have many relatives in Armenia. Zakharova made the remarks on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, which is being held in Vladivostok from Sept. 1 to 4.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Bishkek. Putin said Armenia’s aspiration to join the EU is a natural and legitimate right of the country and its people, that Armenia is a sovereign state and the Armenian people will determine the direction of its development. However, he said this creates difficulties regarding its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and threatens to eliminate Armenia’s advantages in the Eurasian Economic Union market and disrupt established trade chains.
