Armenia is discussing with Russia the issue of organizing a new procedure for foreigners to enter Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)]. Zareh Sinanyan, the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, stated this in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Sinanyan noted that he discussed this issue during a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. "People who do not have Russian or Armenian citizenship are starting to have problems [entering Karabakh]. We [Armenians] have a huge diaspora, they are used to coming to Armenia in the summers; they like to visit Nagorno-Karabakh as well. But next summer there may be a situation when many will want to go to Nagorno-Karabakh, but will not be able to do so because of this procedure," he said.

According to him, it is about reaching the capital Stepanakert, Martakert, or other regions of the Artsakh territory overseen by the Armenian side and Russian peacekeepers. "Now the new procedure is such that seven days before leaving [for Karabakh], an application [to that effect] must be submitted to the Nagorno-Karabakh representation in Armenia, then the list is passed to the Russian peacekeepers, after which it is decided who can come [to Karabakh] and who cannot," Sinanyan explained.

He added that according to various sources, 30 to 50 thousand foreign citizens had visited Karabakh in 2019—before the coronavirus pandemic. "Currently, the applications are still few, as the pandemic has not yet passed and the tourist season has not yet begun. But, nevertheless, there are those who want to come [to Karabakh]. We have a list of organizations and people whose entry to Karabakh has been banned," Zareh Sinanyan added.