No source of major political scandal, Mirzoyan addresses withdrawal of Russian Border Guards from Armenian-Iranian border checkpoint

During a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated that the withdrawal of Russian border guards from the checkpoint on the Armenian-Iranian border cannot be a source of any major scandal, as the situation in that area has always been calm.

"As for the border guards of the Russian Federation, let me remind you that from the very first day of Armenia's independence, at our request, Russian border guards were temporarily involved in ensuring the security of the border between Armenia and Iran. Upon the expiration of service time, we expressed our gratitude to the Russian side and the relevant Russian authorities for their long-term service on our border," Mirzoyan said.

The Armenian Foreign Minister also highlighted that Armenia has strong bilateral cooperation agreements with Russia in the security sector, and Armenia and Russia are genuinely considered allies.

“We have very good and neighborly relations with Iran, and now Russia is also developing partnership relations with Iran. I believe that all countries will benefit from this cooperation,” Mirzoyan said.

On October 8, 2024, during a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, an agreement was reached that, starting January 1, 2025, Russian border guards would withdraw from the Armenian-Iranian border checkpoint and the security at the checkpoint would then be fully carried out by the Armenian Border Service.