Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Vedant Patel has commented on the departure of Russian border guards from the main airport in Yerevan, Armenia.

“We’d spoken about this, I think when this first happened. It was of course a concerning development then. I don’t have any additional details behind this development; I’m happy to look into it. But certainly would be a welcome step in the right direction,” Patel told a briefing on Thursday, August 1.

Russia completed on Wednesday, July 31 the withdrawal of its border guards from Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport which was demanded by Armenia earlier this year.