Russian Foreign Ministry on Border Guards in Nerkhin Hand

The Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, is once again distorting the facts. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, while commenting on the Security Council Secretary's statement regarding the incident near the border village of Nerkhin Hand, which claimed that "despite the presence of Russian soldiers near the village of Nerkhin Hand in Syunik, the Russian side has been unable to prevent the latest incident."

“We categorically assess such statements negatively. This is not the first time that the Secretary of the Security Council has distorted the facts, I think simply to please someone in the West. Perhaps we can find some reasons to criticize Russia. There are no Russian soldiers in the Nerkhin Hand area. There, in accordance with an agreement with the Armenian side, a position of the National Security Service’s border guard was established in 2021.

But at the same time, as we know, an investigation is currently underway in Armenia regarding the implementation of orders to prevent provocations in the border zone and to maintain restraint. We consider attempts to belittle Russian border guards ineffective, as they have been guarding the borders of the republic for 30 years and have repeatedly proven their necessity. Unlike our border guards, EU false observers are not doing what they are there for. Their main occupation is the intelligence activities of Russia and Iran. And, of course, a little self-promotion,” said Zakharova.