Media: Armenia to remove Russian border guards from Türkiye border

The Armenian authorities intend to soon remove Russian border guards from the Akhurik checkpoint on the Turkish border, an Armenian diplomatic source said.

The source said that the decision to transfer the checkpoint at the Akhurik post has already been made, and a flagpole has even been installed, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Russian border guards will, however, remain at the post. An assessment of the railway line toward Türkiye is currently underway.

Other Armenian sources say the Turkish side has already begun construction near the Margara checkpoint. Thus, the start of construction on the Turkish side, along with the planned activation of Akhurik, indicates serious intentions to open the border in the near future.

Armenian media write that, in private conversations, law enforcement officials express concerns about a likely increase in border violations. Official figures show 160 cases of illegal border crossings were recorded in 2024 — compared to 78 cases in 2023. This represents an increase of 82 cases, or 105.1%. Violators are usually from “third world” countries, such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who view Armenia as a transit point.

By Khagan İsayev