Armenia ready to discuss Russian border guards' withdrawal if Yerevan, Ankara build trust

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has stated that Armenia is willing to consider the withdrawal of Russian border guards from the Armenia- Türkiye border if trust-based relations are established between Yerevan and Ankara. 

Mirzoyan explained at a press conference that Russian border guards were temporarily deployed at Zvartnots International Airport and along the border with Iran to assist Armenia in ensuring its security until the country could manage it independently, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

“At some point, we began to independently assume responsibility at Zvartnots and along the Armenia-Iran border. If Armenia and Türkiye establish a functioning, open border and mutual trust is built, we could discuss and consider this issue as well,” he added.

In early October 2024, following a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Yerevan announced that Armenian border forces would jointly patrol the country's borders with Iran and Türkiye alongside their Russian counterparts.

On January 1, 2025, the information went viral that Russian border guards were leaving the checkpoint on the Armenia-Iran border.

By Naila Huseynova