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Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has received an official invitation from Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade to participate in an upcoming economic forum in Yekaterinburg, but the Ministry has clarified that reports claiming he personally requested the opportunity to attend are incorrect.
The Ministry’s refutation comes in response to a report by Hraparak newspaper, which claimed, citing unnamed sources within the ministry, that Papoyan himself asked Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov to be given the chance to attend the July 6–7 meeting, further alleging that there has been no response from Moscow so far.
Papoyan’s spokesperson, Lilit Shaboyan, denied the report.
“Today, yet another piece of disinformation has been circulated in the press regarding Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan, specifically about his upcoming business trip,” she said, adding that Papoyan will attend the meeting.
“Recently, Minister Gevorg Papoyan received an invitation from his Russian counterpart to participate in the trade and economic forum to be held in Yekaterinburg in July.
This is the only fact. The other parts of the publication are assumptions and interpretations made by the author, which are false.
Relations between Armenia and Russia continue to be built on the principles of mutual respect and constructive dialogue. Within this framework, contacts and meetings at various levels have been and continue to be part of an ongoing working process.
Therefore, I urge people not to present personal wishes as facts and not to mislead the public,” Shaboyan said in a statement on social media, also publishing an image of the invitation sent by Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov.