In a global sense, I can say the first thing: it seems to me that before the visit we commented, as I recall, on all this buffoonery, all these performances that are being organized. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Tuesday’s press briefing.

This is how Zakharova responded to the question of how Armenian officials explained how "persons associated with them were involved in organizing and holding a protest against the visit of a Russian delegation [led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov] to [Armenian capital] Yerevan."

"The formats are the same, the clients are the same, the money is from the same sources. What else is there to explain? Well, what do we mean? Don't we know where all this comes from, and who needs it? This is necessary for those who sleep and see how they will make the states of the post-Soviet space—and not only them—fight. Well, what do we need to find out whose three or not three kopecks were spent? Everything is obvious without that,” Zakharova added.

She responded also to the question about the opening of a Russian consulate general in Syunik Province of Armenia.

“Yes, this topic was discussed in detail during the negotiations, and we do not need to be convinced that it is necessary to quickly start the work of the Russian foreign structure. There is currently no Russian consulate general in the [Armenian] city of Kapan. So in order to get an official position on why, it seems to me, this matter should be clarified with the Armenian side,” noted the Russian MFA spox.

As for Armenia’s return to activities within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), according to Zakharova, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already spoken on this topic.

“We continue to proceed from the fact that the [Armenian] republic is a full member—with all rights and obligations—of the organization. Nothing else has happened after the end of the visit to Yerevan,” Maria Zakharova concluded.