Zakharova Comments on the Withdrawal of Russian Border Guards from Armenia

The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, has labeled as fabricated the information regarding the withdrawal of Russian border guards from five regions of Armenia under an agreement not to deploy representatives from third countries along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. She made this statement during a press briefing.

Earlier, the newspaper 'Hraparak' reported that the withdrawal of Russian border guards from five regions of Armenia, which the authorities are trying to present as a success in terms of protecting sovereignty, is actually yet another demand from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

According to Zakharova, the assumptions that the Russian side proposed to completely withdraw its border guards from Armenian territory are also not accurate. 'This is a lie,' she stated.

She noted that during negotiations between the leaders of Russia and Armenia, the issue of withdrawing Russian border guards from several districts adjacent to Azerbaijan was discussed at the request of the Armenian side, in connection with their compliance with several issues raised by Azerbaijan.

It is worth mentioning that Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the President of Russia, stated that the withdrawal of Russian military personnel and border guards from several regions of Armenia was agreed upon during a meeting between the two countries' leaders in Moscow. On May 12, it became known that Russian border guards had started closing their bases in Syunik.