YEREVAN — The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Russian has deployed more troops along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan amid lingering tensions there.
A statement released by the ministry said that Russian border guards have been deployed in and around Voskepar, a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. It said barracks and other facilities are now being constructed for them.
“The process is carried out within the framework of Russian-Armenian cooperation,” added the statement.
Earlier in the day Hetq.am posted a short video of a Russian flag flying on a two-story building in the area refurbished by construction workers. The news service described the building as a Russian border guard post.
Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, already deployed army soldiers and border guards in southeastern Syunik province late last year to defend it against possible Azerbaijani attacks. Syunik borders districts southwest of Karabakh which were retaken by Azerbaijan during last year’s war.
Tensions rose late last month at border sections separating another Armenian province, Gegharkunik, from the Kelbajar district handed back to Azerbaijan after the six-week war. Three Armenian soldiers were killed and four others wounded there on July 28 in fighting with Azerbaijani forces.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian proposed on July 29 that Russian border guards be deployed along the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Russian officials responded coolly to the idea.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Bikantov, said on Thursday that further Russian deployments are complicated by the fact that the frontier is not demarcated.
“We believe that only the immediate start of work on delimiting and subsequently demarcating the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan can ensure a steady de-escalation on the border,” Bikantov told a briefing in Moscow.
2 comments
Russia betrayed Armenians last year, and is betraying them again this year.
Russia could have stopped the war last year before it began, and could order Azerbaijani troops to pull back now.
Russia is not only betraying Armenians but also betraying Russia by letting pan-Turkism deeper than ever into the Caucasus.
Putn has no idea what he’s doing.
Russia will give Azerbaijan the borders Azerbaijan will claim. Why would they take Armenias side for the first time? They have a base in Armenia like the US has a base in Cuba. Russia needs Azerbaijan AND Turkey. It puts up with Armenia.
Idiotic neighbor Georgia is letting Azerbaijan walk all over them and Iran can’t be counted on for the same reason Russia can’t. Armenia needs to develop a new strategy for survival. Depending on Russia didn’t work out so great during WW1 and at the end of WW1 and during the Soviet years. It needs a war against corruption so that diasporans can make Armenia into a Caucasian Switzerland. That is the only chance.