ArmInfo. The files on deportation of Armenian political expert Stepan Grigoryan have been transferred to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing on October 6.
In the meantime, Stepan Grigoryan has told ArmInfo that he has received no information about this incident. "I hope the Armenian Foreign Ministry will give me the relevant files. The most important thing is that the ice has broken up," he says.
To recall, Stepan Grigoryan, Head of the Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC), previously said that on August 30 at 8 am he arrived at Sheremetyevo Airport in Russia but he was unable to enter the territory of Russia because he was detained by Russian border guards due to a ban on travel to Russia until 2030.
"I arrived in Russia to visit one of the Moscow cemeteries, where my father Gevorg Grigoryan was buried in October 2014. I had only 10 hours and on Aug 30 night I was to fly back to Yerevan. I was given a notification, which contained references to the Russian Federal Law "On departure and entry to the Russian Federation," which mostly concerned various kinds of actions of foreign citizens, who violate the law. This has absolutely nothing to do with me, because I have conducted no activities in Russia over the past 20 years. In my case, only Item 9 of Article 26 of that Law (On deportation of foreign citizens who take part in international organizations' activities, which are undesirable in the territory of Russia) was important. It is no secret that the Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (Armenia) headed by me is actively cooperating with European NGOs, analytical centers and various democratic foundations that support our initiatives. Besides, we do not conceal that we see the future of Armenian people in the European family based on democratic values. It is obvious that the Russian authorities' decision was politically charged," Grigoryan said on his Facebook page. "On August 30, 2016, I applied to the Armenian Foreign Ministry to protect my rights and I will be waiting for the reply for a few days. Afterwards, I will start my own actions to defend my infringed rights," Grigoryan said.
Later, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan said that the Armenian Foreign Ministry was studying the issue and would publicize the results later.