Armenia Summons Russian Ambassador Over Controversial TV Broadcast
On January 15, the Armenian Foreign Ministry summoned Sergey Kopyrkin, Russian Ambassador to Armenia, to protest narratives broadcast on January 12 by the Russian television program Vesti Nedeli, alleging they undermined Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and issued a note of protest.
On January 16, Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, announced the government might ban Dmitry Kiselyov's Russian state television program, pending the National Commission on Television and Radio investigation.
On the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed perplexity at Armenia's reaction, emphasizing Moscow’s official stance, which supports the unblocking of transportation and economic ties in the South Caucasus based on trilateral agreements of 2020-2022. Zakharova reiterated that no extraterritorial corridors in Armenia were discussed and noted that sovereignty over routes through national territories was affirmed, attributing delays in the trilateral working group’s progress to Armenia’s actions and alleged Western influence.