To Restrict Entry and Exit from Armenia or Not: Discussion in the Government

During an extraordinary government meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted after reading the draft decision "On Introducing a State of Emergency in Armenia": "Thus, with this decision, we change the status of the Coronavirus Prevention Working Group or Committee, making it a crisis management center under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Avinyan. Essentially, it turns out that we are prohibiting Armenian citizens from leaving the territory of Armenia on specific routes."

The Prime Minister inquired what routes would be restricted for leaving the territory. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan detailed that land routes would be restricted, while ensuring that cases related to cargo transport are regulated by government decisions, and in the case of leaving the territory by air, citizens would undergo quarantine measures upon their return.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan mentioned that discussions had led to a different approach: "We are concerned about the management of such movements, as we could face a situation where the list directed by the Ministry of Health may change. Today, we have a dynamic in one direction, tomorrow in another. This list can change rapidly, and we will not be able to manage this, leading to confusion. We propose allowing entry only for the following categories of persons: Armenian citizens, family members of Armenian citizens holding foreign citizenship, holders of diplomatic passports, and other persons decided by the Prime Minister or the head of the crisis management center," he stated.

Mnatsakanyan indicated that they propose to grant exit permits only to: foreign citizens, family members of foreign citizens holding Armenian citizenship, regular cargo carriers, and holders of Armenian diplomatic passports, along with other individuals decided by the Prime Minister or head of the crisis management center. "This simplifies the situation, preventing us from creating a scenario where one person leaves the list daily while another enters, making it impossible to manage," the minister highlighted.

Tigran Avinyan remarked that in the current state of emergency, many regulations had already been issued by decisions from the Government and the Prime Minister, and this regime provides a bit more tools for swift action. "In fact, we had restrictions related to the transportation of individuals at checkpoints. I agree with the option proposed by Mr. Mnatsakanyan," said Avinyan.

Health Minister Arsen Torosyan countered Mnatsakanyan's statements, stating that he does not see any issues regarding governance since it essentially only pertains to air communication. "We already have such a regime with Georgia and Iran; only the air border remains, imposing an entry restriction will provide less flexibility. Tomorrow we would need to restrict the entry of Spanish citizens; we can restrict it today, and we might not need to restrict it tomorrow," Torosyan noted.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan also responded, expressing his support for ensuring flexibility.