News - Pashinyan: Russia’s arguments on recognition of driver's licenses of Armenian citizens in the Russia are not justified

The arguments put forward by the Russian side on the issue of recognition of driver's licenses of Armenian citizens in Russia are not entirely justified. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a live press conference on Friday. “Although there should be unhindered movement of labor in the Eurasian space. The main problem is the recognition of the Russian language in Armenia as the official one, but it is difficult to imagine that any language other than Armenian would have such a status in Armenia, given the characteristics of the country,” he said. Pashinyan also recalled that Russian relocant drivers now live and work in Armenia and do not know the Armenian language. Russia’s State Duma postponed indefinitely the consideration of the bill on the recognition of driver's licenses of Armenian citizens to work and do business in Russia, considering that the adoption of such a law “currently does not correspond to the interests of the country.” State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin explained this decision by saying that the Armenian authorities have not secured the status of the Russian language in the country. According to Volodin, citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can use the driver’s licenses of their countries in Russia because “the Russian language is constitutionally enshrined in their country.”