We consider this as another example of unfriendly behavior by Yerevan. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Wednesday’s press briefing—and commenting on Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan’s statement that it would be right for the Russian border guards to leave the Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan.
“Of course, it is not clear to what extent the speaker of the parliament of Armenia is accountable for the topic he raised. We [i.e. Russia] have not received any petition from the authorities of Armenia in this regard. We understand that the story related to Zvartnots stems from earlier insinuations related to the Russian [army deserter] Dmitri Sedrakov [who was apprehended in Armenia by Russian forces]. I can assure that no illegal act was committed by the Russian representatives in this context. We always respect the national legislation of sovereign states,” added the official representative of the Russian MFA.