Yerevan Discusses Entry of Foreigners to Artsakh with Moscow

Armenia is in discussions with Russia regarding the organization of a new passport regime for foreigners wishing to enter the territory of Artsakh. This was stated by the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Zareh Sinanyan, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Sinanyan noted that this issue was discussed during a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. “People who do not have Russian or Armenian citizenship are facing issues in this regard. We have a huge diaspora; they are used to coming to Armenia in the summer and also enjoy visiting Artsakh. This summer, there could be a situation where many people would like to go to Artsakh but will not be able to do so due to this regime,” said Sinanyan.

According to him, this applies to areas under the control of the Armenian side and Russian peacekeepers. “The new procedure is that one must submit an application seven days prior to visiting the Artsakh representation in Armenia. The list is then passed to the Russian peacekeepers, who then decide who can come and who cannot,” Sinanyan explained.

He added that before the pandemic, in 2019, between 30,000 to 50,000 foreign citizens visited Artsakh, according to various estimates. “Currently, there are still few applications because the pandemic has not passed and the tourism season has not started. However, there are still people who want to go; we have a list of organizations and individuals whose entry has been denied,” Sinanyan noted.