YEREVAN, March 7. /TASS/. Armenia is capable of ensuring the smooth operation of border control functions at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport without Russian assistance, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a press conference.
"The Russian side has been informed of this initiative. From the very beginning, the presence of the Russian side at Zvartnots Airport was intended to support the young, independent Armenia [immediately after the breakup of the Soviet Union]. Now, we believe that Armenia is capable of carrying out [its own] border control service at the Zvartnots Airport. I think this is enough help from the Russian side. We are talking about the full exercise of powers; we do not need Russia's assistance anymore. Of course, we are grateful for this support," he said.
Earlier, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that Yerevan had sent an official letter to Moscow asking it to discontinue the operations of Russian border guards at Zvartnots Airport.
Since 1992, Russian border guards have operated the checkpoint there. In the early 2000s, training for local guards was organized. Russian and Armenian border control staff currently serve jointly at the airport. Prior to 2024, Armenian officials had never voiced any dissatisfaction with the work of Russian border guards at the capital's airport. However, Armenian and other media reported that officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had allegedly exceeded their authority and refused to allow certain persons to enter Armenia.
On February 27, 2024, Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan stated at a briefing that the Russian FSB border service employees should no longer be working at Zvartnots Airport. The speaker asserted that the actions of the FSB officers had repeatedly made Armenia’s borders "more vulnerable."
On March 2, 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on reports that the Armenian authorities were discussing the advisability of maintaining the presence of Russian border guards at Yerevan's airport, said at a press conference following the Antalya Diplomatic Forum that he could not confirm these reports, "although it fits quite well into the logic of the current Armenian leadership's stances." He also drew attention to the fact that some Armenian activists are calling Yerevan's cooperation with Moscow over the past three decades a mistake. The top Russian diplomat recounted the claims of those individuals who have not bothered to conceal their desire to "remove Russia from the South Caucasus region" altogether, given the current situation.