Russia will withdraw its troops and border guards from Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, following discussions between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This decision was confirmed on Thursday, shortly after the leaders’ meeting.
Initially deployed to Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province during the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war, Russian forces were later extended to four additional provinces adjacent to Azerbaijan at the behest of the Armenian government. This deployment aimed to bolster Armenia’s defense capabilities against potential Azerbaijani attacks.
Hayk Konjoryan, the parliamentary leader of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, announced that all Russian military personnel would be withdrawn from the border regions. This move is part of a high-level agreement between Russia and Armenia. Konjoryan also noted that a small number of Russian border guards stationed at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport is slated for removal.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the mutual agreement, which was reached during Putin and Pashinyan’s meeting in Moscow. “In the fall of 2020, at the request of the Armenian side, our military and border guards were deployed in a number of Armenian regions,” said Peskov, adding, “Pashinyan said there is no such need anymore due to the changed conditions. President Putin therefore agreed, and the withdrawal of our military and border guards was agreed.”
Furthermore, Peskov revealed that Russian guards would continue to secure Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran, following another request from the Armenian government.
On March 12, Pashinyan declared that his administration has set an August 1 deadline for the withdrawal of Russian guards from Zvartnots, asserting that Armenia is fully capable of managing airport border controls independently. This directive was met with criticism from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which expressed concerns over potential “irreparable damage” to bilateral relations and implications for Armenia’s security and economic prospects.
Additionally, the presence of a Russian military base in Armenia continues to be a sensitive issue. Earlier in March, a senior Russian lawmaker said he “would not recommend that the Armenian authorities even think about” demanding an end to the Russian military presence.
