Raffi Hovhannisyan's Entry to Artsakh Prohibited

Former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovhannisyan's entry to Artsakh has been prohibited. This was announced by the Heritage Party: 'Aghavno, checkpoint of the Republic of Artsakh. Last night in Stepanakert, while on his way to attend his grandson's baptism, the entry of the first Foreign Minister of Armenia and founder of the Heritage Party, Raffi K. Hovhannisyan, to the territory of the Republic of Artsakh was officially obstructed by the servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping forces. Displaying their commander's order, along with a accompanying photo, the soldiers at the checkpoint did not provide any reasonable grounds or justification for the refusal but confirmed that the ban could be due to directives 'from the very top' of official Yerevan.

The government of the Republic of Artsakh, unaware and severely surprised by such a decision, has been trying for a long time to clarify and then resolve the illegal act, albeit in vain. Its representatives did not rule out a potential connection of Baku's authoritarian regime to this impunity. 'The cowardice of those standing behind this evidently unjust order shows us the most likely direction of responsibility for this self-proclaimed tyranny; it can only be one person—the failed leader, who must leave along with his intolerant neighbor for the sake of real regional peace and security,' Hovhannisyan stated.