Armenian Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan said Yerevan is not taking any steps that could harm its relations with Russia and remains committed to maintaining good-neighborly ties, according to the parliament's press service.
"We have always been sincere. It is not us who are doing anything to worsen relations with the Russian Federation. On the contrary, we have done and continue to do everything to have normal, good-neighborly and friendly relations," Rubinyan said.
He emphasized Armenia's interest in preserving good-neighborly ties with Moscow. However, he suggested that restrictions recently imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's federal veterinary and phytosanitary watchdog, do not correspond either to the spirit of Armenia-Russia relations or, especially, to the rules of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
On June 12, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed the restrictions, banning the import of all regulated plant products from Armenia, as well as their transit via Russia to other EAEU member states. The agency's head, Sergei Dankvert, attributed the measures to inadequate quality control by Armenian producers.
