March 06, 2024
YEREVAN — Armenia said it has sent an official request to Moscow asking it to remove Russian border troops from the Zvartnots international airport in the country’s capital as Yerevan continues to distance itself from Moscow amid a souring of bilateral relations.
“Armenia has a clear position in this matter. The Russian Federation was informed via an official letter about that clear position,” Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigorian told reporters on March 6, adding that according to Yerevan’s position, the airport must be served solely by Armenian border troops.
Russia’s border guard service forms a part of the Federal Security Service structure in Armenia and has been present at Zvartnots airport since 1992. An agreement stationing them there does not specify the roles of Russian border guards, but it does say they can use the airport for transportation needs.
Armenia has been distancing itself from its traditional ally Russia in recent months while at the same time moving closer to the West. Yerevan previously has brought up the subject of the airport but Grigorian’s comments on March 6 are the first time Armenia has officially made the request.
“The acquisition of military equipment with Russia has dropped from 96 percent to less than 10 percent. This means that Armenia is implementing a diversification policy that requires partners not only in the West, but also in Asia and in other different directions. Big changes are taking place. Armenia is diversifying its economy and security,” Grigorian added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously said that no official decisions regarding the withdrawal of Russian border guards from Zvartnots had been taken because Moscow had not “officially” received such a request.
Grigorian’s statement comes less than two weeks after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in an interview with the France 24 television channel that his country had frozen its membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), accusing Moscow of calling on Armenian citizens to overthrow his government.
The CSTO is at the heart of Armenia’s turn away from Moscow. The Pashinian government has long criticized the CSTO for its “failure to respond to the security challenges” facing Armenia.
Armenian authorities have accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive last September, which ended with Baku’s regaining control over the breakaway region that for three decades had been under ethnic Armenian control.
Moscow has rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene and charging that Pashinian had effectively paved the way for the collapse of separatist rule in the region by previously acknowledging Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over it.
Pashinian declined to attend the CSTO’s summit in Minsk in November and said in a televised Q&A session then that any decision about Yerevan’s continued membership in the group — which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — would be based on Armenia’s “own state interests.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-russian-border-guards-remove-yerevan-airport/32850687.html
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Putin loses grip on member of his military alliance
Most definitely not a good idea to let rashists hang out around your airport.
This is a good development, but a risky one for Armenia. Putlerstan still has a large military base INSIDE Armenia; at Gyumri; 75 miles from Yerevan. Troops; at least brigade strength, plus tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles, MiG’s, air defence systems etc.
There are at least two poisonous Nazis of Armenian descent inside the putler murder gang: Simonyan and Lavrov; the latter whose family name actually is Kalantaryan. Being nazis of course they are anti-Semitic, as is another fan of Armenia when it was a simple putinaZi satellite: Maria Zakharova. In fact Armenia was one of the few countries that endorsed the thieving of Crimea in 2014, so it’s come a long way since then.
Armenia, like Georgia, is small and weak. It would be a great blow to putler if both became US protectorates. Although I’m probably dreaming here.
Georgia; despite having putinaZi puppet rule, is in great danger. Now, so is Armenia.
Good point, Scradge, but the Armenian request may still have a chance. After all, why leave about 2000, maybe more, well armed Russian soldiers in Armenia, to enjoy a lazy time there, when army leadership is already sending mobbiks into battle in golf carts? Who knows, Putin may even decide that those troops would be of better use in Ukraine. The one thing holdinng him back may be concern about the impression on other peripheral republics. No matter how useless Armenia is for his war efforts right now, he wouldn’t want to show weakness that may encourage others to leave the Russian sphere of influence. Let’s see how this plays out, especially if Armenia’s willing to apply military pressure to force the garrison out. 🤔
This means that mafia land will send MORE roaches to infest Armenia.
That Armenia wants to cleanse itself is a good development at any rate. We’ll see how that pans out.
It’s a shame the other federated countries don’t take a similar position. It would indeed spread the orc forces too thin and would force the orcs to let these countries go. Anyway, that just my dream.