15:35,

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. No radical change has taken place in the entry procedures to the Republic of Artsakh, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan said at the Parliament’s session, in response to the question of Vice Speaker Gagik Baghunts.

“We continue granting entry visas to the citizens of those countries who need to obtain respective permit. In addition, there are countries whose citizens are not required to get an entry visa, however, they need to visit Artsakh’s permanent representation in Armenia and get a respective document which will allow their entry to Artsakh. The necessity of further regulating this process is connected with the concern of the Russian peacekeepers according to which some terrorist groups may enter into Artsakh. If they manage to carry out any action in Artsakh, the responsibility is also on the Russian peacekeeping mission. Therefore, the entry procedure should be further regulated”, he said, adding that the documents of the foreign citizens are also sent to the Russian peacekeepers. “They have more opportunities to know whether that visiting person is involved in any terrorist group or not”, he added, noting that all these regulations will increase the security level.

Babayan stated that the entry of Diaspora-Armenians to Artsakh will not be restricted in any way. “They just will need to wait a day, so that the list is presented in order to avoid problems”, the Artsakh FM said.

On February 10 Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, informing that for security reasons, the entry procedure of foreign citizens to the territory of the Republic of Artsakh in the post-war conditions has been updated.

“Citizens of foreign countries wishing to visit the Republic of Artsakh must first apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh to obtain a permit to enter Artsakh. This procedure applies both to foreign citizens who need an entry visa, and to citizens of visa-free countries.

Taking into account security considerations, information about applications is also transmitted to the Russian peacekeeping forces.

After the approval of applications, the foreign nationals who submitted them are informed about it and after receiving their visas at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Artsakh in Yerevan, they can leave for Artsakh.

As for the timing, corresponding works are being carried out to improve the mechanism. The entry permit is issued within 3 or 4 working days. Sometimes the process may take longer, in which case the foreign national who submitted the application will be notified about it.

The mechanism is already in progress. In recent days, representatives of a number of foreign media and international organizations have arrived in the Republic of Artsakh under this procedure”, the statement says.