Russia refused to approve the candidacy of the former Armenian ambassador to Poland, Sambal Makarchian, for the post of Armenian ambassador to Moscow. As the Armenian media reports, citing a source, for this reason the planned replacement of the current Armenian ambassador to Russia, Gurgan Arsenyan, did not take place. It is assumed that the Russian side's refusal may be related to McCarthyan's many years of diplomatic activity in European countries. However, no evidence was provided for this version.