If This Continues, We Will Ban Armenian MPs from Entering Russia: Zatulin

During an interview with Artsvik Minasyan, commentator Petros Ghazaryan mentioned the topic of banning Russian State Duma MP Konstantin Zatulin from entering Armenia. He stated, "Zatulin claims that we signed a corridor in the November 9 declaration, and he says, 'Go ask the signer why he signed.' This is Aliyev's narrative. When Zatulin repeats Aliyev's idea, he is both lying and this is directed against our security. None of you says, 'Dear Zatulin, maybe that’s why your entry has been banned.'" This was reported by the newspaper 'Hraparak' which contacted Zatulin and asked whether he made the statements attributed to him by Petros Ghazaryan and, if so, based on what reasoning.

Zatulin responded, "No, I have not made such a statement. One of the Armenian media outlets asked me why Russia demands that Armenia open a corridor. I said that regarding the corridor issue, you should clarify everything with Nikol Pashinyan, because he takes on or does not take on certain obligations, including those related to the corridor. That's all I said on the matter; I made no reference to any agreement. Afterwards, they started writing that Zatulin attributes a corridor agreement to Armenia, whereas there is no such agreement in the trilateral declaration. I did not refer to the trilateral declaration at all; this interpretation is from the Armenian media that are interested in justifying the government’s line, but I want to draw your attention to the fact that if everything written in the so-called 'Washington Declaration' is confirmed, then the term 'corridor' is not used there, but there is a point related to the land route, which can be called a corridor or not called one. Even if some corridor is provided, one must be very careful about who exercises jurisdiction, how the inspection is conducted, who holds the customs points, and whether there are customs points or not. If this point exists in the 'Washington Declaration', it means that Armenia is conducting discussions on this issue, and Azerbaijan, as you know, uses the term 'Zangezur corridor' everywhere. Moreover, during the Sochi trilateral meeting, Mr. Aliyev discussed the five conditions they have put forward as basic preconditions for relations with Armenia, one of which is the 'Zangezur corridor'. There are nice words about peace and other matters, but there is also talk about the 'Zangezur corridor'. This is what Aliyev says, but he is saying this at a meeting with the participation of the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

Regarding Mr. Ghazaryan's motivations for saying that he thinks I should appear on that list, that's on the conscience of Armenia's current authorities. So far, we have received no official response from Armenia's official structures. You probably know that on the day it became known that my visit to Armenia is undesirable, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to the Russian embassy in Armenia, which conveyed that note to Armenia's Foreign Ministry regarding me and Margarita Simonyan, and there has been no official response to those notes. As for what Mr. Ghazaryan says, the reasons, the explanations he provides… let's think together if those reasons could serve as a pretext for recognizing me as an undesirable person. If the Armenian authorities behave this way, then the whole government—both now and when in opposition—should not be allowed to visit Russia for the statements they have made about it, if we are proceeding from such approaches.

This means that if Armenia's current government thinks that if you approach them critically, evaluate them in a way that is displeasing to them, and that can be the basis for banning entry, then Armenia is a monarchy and any criticism of the Armenian authorities is considered an attack on the monarch. In that case, of course, it turns out that I am guilty because I have offended 'His Excellency,' as I have called things by their names, and no corridor is involved here, rather, it concerns the treasonous line that the Armenian government pursues when it comes to the self-determination of Artsakh and the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh," said Zatulin.

Yesterday, National Assembly President Alen Simonyan hosted a delegation led by Kazbek Taisayev, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots. Zatulin is the head of this committee, and we asked him if it is strange that when his entry is banned, his deputy comes to Armenia and meets with the leader of the parliament that banned his entry.

He replied, "Discussions are ongoing these days between the professional committees of the parliaments of the two countries. That meeting was planned back in September, meaning it was scheduled before all these events. My colleague's visit was postponed, and the committee's chair did not visit because, as we know, the chair of that committee in the Armenian National Assembly was from the opposition faction, but he was not allowed to work; as far as I remember, it was Mr. Armen Gevorgyan, and in fact, the responsibilities of the committee chair are now being carried out by a representative of the ruling party. In this situation, we made a decision that, of course, what is happening in Armenian-Russian relations needs to be discussed, since those relations are not hostile; there is a need for both sides to clarify their positions, ask questions, and receive answers, including regarding the ban on the visit of State Duma deputies to Armenia. We have not banned the entry of any Armenian MPs into Russia, regardless of the opinions they express. This is also one of Mr. Taisayev's issues, which I hope he will address during his visit to Armenia. And, of course, I would never make my personal issue conditional on the fact that if I am not allowed to go to Armenia, then the parliamentary relations should break down between Russia and Armenia. I respect Armenia and consider it important to maintain and develop Armenian-Russian relations, and it is from that perspective that I speak. They will, of course, try to utilize our delegation’s arrival in a way that presents the desirable as reality, showing that look, we have restricted Zatulin's entry, but the other deputies are coming. But those deputies have come to Armenia because they have a mandate within which they must also meet with representatives of the opposition. Today the entire delegation will meet with Robert Kocharian, and they are in no way planning to present their colleague, that is, my entry ban, as an acceptable thing in our relations. I hope Mr. Simonyan was told about this during the meeting. If the Armenian authorities want to show that there is no issue, that if someone's entry is banned, it will be tolerated… we are just great individuals and are showing patience, but that patience is not endless. If this continues, we will demand that based on the same grounds, the entry of Armenia’s respected deputies, who shamelessly blame Russia for all sins, into Russia be restricted. We will also adopt such an approach, but we are still waiting," Zatulin responded.

For more details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.