PM Pashinyan affirms continued presence of Russian troops, EU mission in Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has confirmed that the government has no plans to end the presence of Russian troops on Armenian soil, emphasizing the complex security dynamics in the region.

Speaking in Prague, Pashinyan highlighted the dual presence of Russian military forces alongside a European Union monitoring mission tasked with overseeing the border with Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“You know that we have a complicated situation in the region. You mentioned the presence of Russian troops in Armenia. But I would like to mention that there is also a European monitoring mission in Armenia, which monitors the situation on the border with Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan stated.

He further recalled that while Armenia had reduced the scale of Russian troop deployment last year, the government’s current objective is not to halt their presence. Instead, Pashinyan stressed the primary goal remains “to be able to establish a lasting and stable peace with the regional countries.”

By Vafa Guliyeva