Armenia refutes reports on revision of Russian border troops status

PanARMENIAN.Net - Press Secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan on Monday, July 23 refuted media information about the possible revision of the treaty regulating the service of Russian border guards in the country, RIA Novosti reports.

Local media outlets reported earlier that Defense Minister David Tonoyan allegedly did not rule out the revision of certain provisions of the intergovernmental agreement on the status of the border troops of the Russian Federation stationed on the territory of Armenia.

“The minister was referring to the theme of the 102nd Russian military base and was not talking about a revision, but only spoke of adding technical points to another agreement. Nothing was said about border guards,” Hovhannisyan said.

The Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia in Armenia involves thousands of guards split into four border patrolling teams on country’s borders with Turkey and Iran and a border control point at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport.

Furthermore, the Erebuni airport in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan is home to the Russian 3624th Air Base and hosts MiG-29 jets and Mi-24 attack helicopters. The Russian 102nd Military Base, meanwhile, is situated in Gyumri, northern Armenia.