Pashinyan: Fortifications along Azerbaijan border to be handed to border guards

Armenia will eventually transfer powerful fortifications and defensive structures along its border with Azerbaijan to national border guards, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on April 27.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the establishment of the Border Troops of the National Security Service of Armenia, Pashinyan outlined plans to gradually shift responsibility for border security from the military to specialised units, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media. 

The delimitation and demarcation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border will continue in the near future and be completed within a reasonable timeframe, he added.

“When we talk about the delimitation and demarcation of the border, we want military personnel to serve at their permanent bases. For decades, they have been serving in trenches and at positions where conditions, given the circumstances we are aware of, are far from ideal,” he stated.

“The powerful fortifications and defensive structures along the border with Azerbaijan will eventually be transferred to the Border Troops. This will take place under conditions of full-fledged peace. Armenia is moving more confidently in this direction with each passing day. Where border guards are stationed [ather than army units], confidence in security is much higher. It is precisely with this confidence that the state decides to transfer a particular section of the border to the border guards,” Pashinyan stated.

By Sabina Mammadli