NSS Leader Says ‘No Decision’ Yet on When Russian Border Guards will Withdraw from Iran-Armenia Border
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said that following the withdrawal of Russian guards from the Iran-Armenia border there will be “no revision” to the existing agreement between Yerevan and Moscow.
Following a meeting on October 8 between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, an announcement was made that Russian border guards would cease to monitor the checkpoint at the Armenia-Iran border beginning in January and will hand that responsibility to Armenia’s border troops.
“The agreement reached on the participation of the border guard troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia in the protection of the Armenia-Iran and Armenia-Turkey state borders, and on the service at the border control point of the Armenia-Iran state border being entirely carried out by the border guard troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia does not envision a change or revision of the agreement,” Armenia’s foreign ministry told Azatutyun.am’s Armenian Service in a written response to the news agency.
An agreement reached between Armenia and Russia in 1992 stipulates that “the border guard troops of Russia carry out the release of people, vehicles, cargo, goods, and other things through the existing crossing points on the border of Armenia with Turkey and Iran.”
Evidently, the Armenian foreign ministry statement suggests that, despite the decision made by the leaders of Armenia and Russia, the agreement will not be revised.
Following the Putin-Pashinyan meeting, it is expected for Russian border troops to also withdraw from the Armenia-Turkey checkpoints, although a date for that move has not been announced. In July, Russian border guards withdrew from Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport based on a similar agreement reached when Putin and Pashinyan met in May.
Armen Abazyan, the director of Armenia’s National Security Service, told reporters on Monday that a final decision has not been reached on when the border guard change process will take place, adding that discussions were underway with Iran on the border protection issue.
When asked whether the Russian border guards will leave the checkpoint at the Armenia-Iran border in Agarak, Abazyan responded: “There is no such decision yet.”
The NSS director said that Armenia’s military was able to assume the border guard responsibility, however, in “phases.”
He also signaled that “there is no decision at the moment” about the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Armenia-Turkey border.
Abazyan also touched on the current border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying, as a result of the process, which was finalized Friday with the signatures of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, Azerbaijan “will withdraw from the territories it has occupied in Armenia.”
