Zatulin and Simonyan banned from Armenia
Zatulin and Simonyan – personae non gratae
Yerevan has declared two well-known Russians personae non gratae at once — State Duma Deputy and First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin, and Editor-in-Chief of the Rossiya Segodnya international news agency and Russia Today TV channel Margarita Simonyan. They arethus both banned from entering Armenia.
Commenting on the situation, Zatulin saide refusal to let him into the country as an “insulting step” and accused the Armenian authorities of changing foreign policy course. The speaker of the Armenian parliament replied that “it is dishonest and unfair to accuse Armenia of seeking to ensure its security and linking this with a change in course.”
Political scientist Suren Surenyants believes that individual cases cannot have an impact on the Armenian-Russian relations. But if the Armenian authorities are looking for a confrontation, Russia’s reaction will not be long in coming.
Why did Armenia decide to declare Konstantin Zatulin and Margarita Simonyan undesirable persons, whether the country is changing its foreign policy course, and the expert’s opinion.
“My visit is undesirable, and my statements are detrimental to the Republic of Armenia”
On October 25, it became known that Konstantin Zatulin had received a letter from the Armenian parliament stating that his presence was undesirable. The deputy of the State Duma of Russia himself announced this “insulting step” by the Armenian authorities.
“It was sudden for us, we received a letter from the head of the foreign relations department of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. We were told that my visit is undesirable,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Zatulin also cited the argument given in the letter, received by e-mail:
“Your public statements of the last period against the Republic of Armenia damage the development of friendly and allied relations between our states.”
The Armenian parliament confirmed this information, but without any explanation.
Meanwhile, the Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times) newspaper, owned by the family of the Prime Minister of Armenia, broke the news, emphasizing that Zatulin
- repeatedly blamed the current government for the defeat in the Karabakh war of 2020,
- intervened in domestic politics and
- demanded the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan.
Konstantin Zatulin was due to go to Armenia on October 28 to participate in a meeting of the Lazarev Club, founded by him. A round table meeting is planned in Yerevan on the topic “Historical Past and Present of the Armenian-Russian Relations”.
Zatulin declares himself a pro-Armenian figure, and in his public speeches he regularly says that in 1995 it was at his suggestion that the Duma adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. However, the Duma adopted not a draft law on the recognition of the genocide, but only a condemnatory statement that does not have the force of law.
On the same day that Zatulin was declared undesirable, Russian journalist of Armenian origin Margarita Simonyan wrote on her Telegram channel:
“Konstantin Zatulin, who has been fiercely supporting Armenia for many years, was banned from entering Armenia by the current head of Armenia. Me too, by the way.”
Zatulin and Simonyan – personae non gratae
Russian-Armenian “dialogue” about changing course
Commenting on the decision to ban entry into Armenia, Zatulin said that the Armenian authorities “clearly change course at a crucial moment for the country, encourage anti-Russian sentiment by hinting that Russia is not fulfilling its obligations as an ally.” According to him, this is “clear and rude evidence of the rejection of relations with the Russian Federation in favor of relations with those countries with which Russia is in conflict.”
In response to these accusations, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan told reporters:
“I urge our colleagues, before accusing Armenia of geopolitical manoeuvring, to ask themselves whether they are doing everything right and whether such a geopolitical manoeuvre is rather their hidden desire. Maybe it is Russia that is going to change the foreign policy vector of Armenia?”
The speaker of the National Assembly considers it unfair to accuse Armenia of trying to ensure its security and link this with a change in foreign policy:
“Armenia’s security system has demonstrated obvious problems [the inaction of Russia’s strategic ally and the CSTO military bloc, acting under its leadership, after Armenia’s appeals for assistance in protecting the borders – JAMnews]. The main thing for us is the protection of our borders. Our partners must fulfill their obligations,” he said.
Alen Simonyan stressed that Armenia is not spoiling relations with any country, it simply “wants to be treated fairly, to fulfill its obligations and to protect the borders.”
“Armenia cannot be indifferent to the disrespectful attitude towards the sovereign territory of the country and Armenia itself on the part of anyone, regardless of which state he represents,” the speaker said.
Part of the opposition, in particular representatives of the former Armenian government, regard this position as a blow to Armenian-Russian relations. They say that Zatulin’s entry to Azerbaijan is also prohibited because of his pro-Armenian position.
When asked about the decision to declare the editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya publishing group Margarita Simonyan an undesirable person, the chairman of the parliament said that he had no information about it. At the same time, he also said that an entry ban may apply not only to Margarita Simonyan, but also to her husband Tigran Keosayan, as well as “agents from different countries with Armenian surnames” who allow themselves a disrespectful attitude towards Armenia.
Zatulin and Simonyan – personae non gratae
Comment
According to political scientist Suren Surenyants, Zatulin and Alen Simonyan do not have that “weight class” to speak on behalf of countries and say whether their course is changing. He says that in Armenia, and even more so in Russia, everything is decided by one person. Zatulin is not part of President Putin’s close circle, so it is not for him to judge Armenian-Russian relations.
“It is not that the Armenian-Russian relations are in crisis due to a ban on entry for some politician. I am more concerned about the accompanying processes, which are more like speculation than real politics,” Surenyants told JAMnews.
Surenyants believes that Zatulin really interfered in the domestic political life of Armenia, so specific action had to be taken. In his opinion, the Armenian authorities should have announced in advance that this issue has nothing to do with Armenian-Russian relations:
“It’s possible that this problem will deepen, and the already existing crisis in Armenian-Russian relations will take on more acute manifestations.”
Surenyants believes that if this is a separate, isolated case, then it will not affect the relations of the countries in any way, but if the Armenian authorities intend to create a critical situation, then “it will not lead to good.”
“Suppose Armenia wants to change its foreign policy. If such a decision is indeed made, we will undoubtedly face opposition from Russia. Armenia is no different from Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova,” he stressed.
According to Surenyants, the priority for Pashinyan is to maintain power, which is why he found himself in a “diplomatic time trouble” and is taking erratic contradictory steps.
“He’s trying to buy time. And if he does not have a plan, there is a high probability that he will fall into various diplomatic traps. As a result, Armenia may spoil relations not only with Russia, but also with Iran and the West,” Surenyants concluded.
Zatulin and Simonyan – personae non gratae
