Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Yerevan does not rule out taking its dispute with Russia over the management of the South Caucasus Railway to an international court if the issue cannot be resolved through negotiations. At the same time, he stressed that the Armenian authorities hope to settle the matter through talks.
In an interview with the Dozhd TV channel, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan assured that Yerevan will not extradite Russians persecuted for political reasons to Moscow.
"Not a single person will be detained or deported to any third country for political reasons. I officially guarantee this," he stated.
Simonyan said that Armenian law enforcement agencies previously released detained Russians after the circumstances were clarified. He also noted that artists declared "foreign agents" in Russia are visiting and performing in Armenia. He cites the case of Vladimir Zhilinsky, coordinator of the "Golos" (Voice) movement for the protection of voters' rights, who was detained in Armenia at the request of the Russian Federation as a "foreign agent" but later released.