Russian tourists may be advised to refrain from traveling to Armenia due to regular detentions of citizens there, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko stated.
Matviyenko announced the potential travel warning during a telephone conversation with Ruben Rubinyan, the chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia. She noted that detentions of Russian citizens in Armenia based on requests from third countries have become systematic.
Matviyenko warned that if this practice continues, Russia will be forced to issue a recommendation advising its tourists not to visit the republic. The two officials also discussed inter-parliamentary interaction, as well as humanitarian and cultural cooperation.
European Union Pressure
The developments follow earlier statements by European Parliament Member Fernand Kartheiser, who warned Armenia of planned pressure from the European Union. Kartheiser stated that the European Union would force Armenia to introduce a visa regime with Russia.
