ArmInfo.Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan gave a manipulative answer to the question whether the Armenian side asked Moscow for Russian border guards to continue guarding the Armenian-Iranian and Armenian-Turkish borders, as stated by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
Thus, on the air of the Public Television Company, in response to a corresponding question, he said, in particular: "I will try to present the reality, and let the public judge the rest. The reality is that they proposed to Russia that only Armenian border troops remain at the Zvartnots airport. Together. Therefore, we began discussions with the Russian side so that the 17 border points existing on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border of the Sisian and Goris bases were withdrawn. They agreed and asked if we wanted them to be withdrawn from the Armenia-Iran and Armenian borders as well. "Turkey? We said that this is based on an agreement, and we do not have any request."
After negotiations between the leaders of Armenia and Russia in Moscow on May 8, the head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Civil Contract party, Hayk Konjorian, said that Russian border guards would leave the Gegharkunik, Syunik, Tavush, Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions, where they were after the 44-day war, on the initiative of the Government of Armenia, as well as the Zvartnots airport.
After this, on May 10, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that the process of withdrawal of Russian military and border guards from a number of regions of Armenia was agreed upon on May 8 in Moscow during a meeting of the heads of Armenia and Russia. He added that at the request of Yerevan, Russian border guards will continue to be on the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian- Iranian borders.
The basis for the current presence of Russian border guards in Armenia is the interstate agreement on the status of Russian border troops on the territory of the republic, concluded in Yerevan on September 30, 1992.
The border department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in Armenia includes 4 border detachments - in Gyumri, Armavir, Artashat and Meghri, as well as a separate checkpoint at the Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport. The maintenance of Russian border guards in Armenia is provided approximately equally by the governments of the two states. Unlike the Russian military base, where exclusively Russian citizens serve, Armenian citizens also have the right to serve in the border troops of the Russian Federation in the republic.