Zatulin shares response letter from Armenian parliament speaker

Russian lawmaker Konstantin Zatulin, who has been banned from entering Armenia over his strong criticism of the Armenian authorities, has publicized a response letter from Armenian National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan.

Zatulin, the deputy chairman of a Russian State Duma committee on CIS affairs and Eurasian integration, invited Simonyan to Russia to attend the fifth meeting of the Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club.

The Armenian speaker declined the invitation, saying that he would pay a visit to Uzbekistan on October 27-28.

The Haykakan Zhamanak daily owned by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's family first reported the entry ban, accusing Zatulin of meddling in Armenia’s internal affairs.

The lawmaker regretted the decision as an “offensive move” on Tuesday.