Armenia’s Interior Ministry has responded to the Iranian ambassador’s recent statement concerning protests outside the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan, stressing that the safety of all diplomatic missions in Armenia is fully ensured.
“The Republic of Armenia guarantees the security of all diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, including the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international and bilateral obligations,” reads the ministry’s official statement.
It further notes that the ministry will continue to oversee peaceful assemblies in accordance with legal procedures.
The ministry emphasized its ongoing working relationship with the Iranian Embassy and stated that all recent gatherings have been handled in line with legal norms, with both the protestors' and the embassy’s safety ensured.
It also confirmed that during one of the protests, a participant was administratively detained under Article 182 of Armenia’s Code of Administrative Offenses for disobeying a lawful police order.
The Interior Ministry reaffirmed its continued commitment to legally servicing peaceful gatherings. It also underlined that Armenia, as a democratic state, is obligated under its Constitution, the Law on Freedom of Assembly, and its international commitments, to uphold the rights to freedom of movement and peaceful protest.
During a recent press conference, Iran’s newly appointed ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, strongly criticized the ongoing protests outside the embassy, now in their sixth day. He claimed demonstrators had used offensive language and that Armenia was becoming a hub for forces hostile to Iran. “Despite our repeated objections, this continues,” the ambassador said, adding that such actions would be remembered in the historical memory of the Iranian people.
