YEREVAN, August 17. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in Armenia has sent a note to the republic's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday over the false accusations against Russian structures’ involvement in the blast at the Yerevan's Surmalu wholesale market, the press service of the Russian diplomatic mission reported on Wednesday.
"We are indignant with the cynical publications in the local media which contain blasphemous and false accusations against the Russian structures’ participation in the tragedy that took place on the territory of the Surmalu wholesale market on August 14 of this year. An appropriate note was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia," the statement reads.
According to the document, the embassy considers such publications as a direct provocation of political forces behind such insinuations, aimed at undermining the Russian-Armenian allied relations. "We expect the Armenian authorities to take steps aimed at suppressing such unfriendly manifestations, including the necessary public comments," the statement said.
The Russian Embassy also recalled that "the Russian side, represented by the Russian-Armenian center of humanitarian response, has been involved in elimination of the tragedy's consequences since the first minutes."
The explosion and subsequent fire at the Surmalu wholesale market took place on August 14. According to preliminary data, the explosion occurred in a pyrotechnics warehouse, which made it very difficult to extinguish the fire and part of the building collapsed. According to the latest information, 16 people, including a pregnant woman and a four-year-old child, became victims of the tragic incident, while two citizens are still missing.