“We assumed that such lists are drawn up and it will lead to such consequences that they do not allow going inside the country. This according to me speaks of the following: on the one hand, Armenia and Russia are strategic allies, in other words, they should also have commonalities in terms of some key political assessment, but, in fact, people who are accepted by Armenia’s society, irrespective of how contradictions they have with official policy, are unacceptable even for the access to Russia. They are just persona non grata,” – said president of Yerevan Press Club, Boris Navasardyan, in an interview with Aravot.am, referring to the blockage of the access of Stepan Grigoryan (Chairman of the Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation) to Russian, and to the list of the so-called “Western agents” of Armenia’s political and public figures appeared in the press. Mr. Navasardyan is also on this list. According to our interlocutor, all this makes it apparent that Armenia and Russia are further moving apart from each other both in terms of opinions, interests and joint activities: “One thing that makes it obvious is that once the minority of our society that was against Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union was estimating the situation more accurately than its supporters.” Boris Navasardyan says that first of all the RA authorities should draw conclusions from it.
To the observation of whether there are no fears that the conclusions drawn by RA authorities would be the fact that the same approaches would be used against these people, our interlocutor said with humor: “Well, either one side or the other. One this is clear that they must draw conclusions, and as to what conclusions it would be, time will show.” In any case, Boris Navasardyan states that all this is getting ridiculous. Human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan noted in a conversation with us that Russia is evidently making regress trying to imitate or simulate the Soviet Union, trying to extend its domestic problems over it bordering countries, including Armenia: “The problem is that Armenia does not display confrontation officially.”
The figures who appear in this list, as Vardan Harutyunyan thinks, have a reason to be proud of: “Because it would be a shame to get Russia’s sponsorship or support in the 21st century.” Republican MP Samvel Farmanyan who is also among the “western agents” in an interview with us said: “Neither by the RA Constitution nor by the RA legislation, interpreting stupidities is beyond my powers or duties.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
