Armenia agrees to withdraw Russian troops from the Armenian-Iranian border

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agrees to withdraw Russian troops from the Armenian-Iranian border.

TRT reported on this.

The agreement became possible after a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they discussed further steps to reduce the presence of Russian troops in Armenia.

First of all, they agreed to end the deployment of Russian troops on the Armenian-Iranian border, where they had been for 32 years.

The trend of Russia’s declining presence in Armenia is primarily due to the country’s distance from its longtime ally, which started after the failed war against Azerbaijan in the second Karabakh war.

At that time, Armenia could not get any support from its main CSTO allies and was dissatisfied with the fact that Russia did not assist the country in its attempts to stop the Azerbaijani army’s offensive.

In addition, Armenia is currently on its way out of the CSTO structure itself. Discussions on this issue are still ongoing, but so far, they have been limited to suspending the country’s participation in exercises and cutting off funding.

On September 1, 2024, it was reported that the Armenian authorities decided to freeze their participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The Armenian Prime Minister stressed that he personally respects all points of view, but the country’s authorities have decided to freeze its participation in the organization.

Pashinyan added that Armenia currently sees no need to make another decision on the CSTO, but this does not mean that it will not happen in the future.

At the same time, Armenia is looking for new partners, including India and France, to develop the defense industry jointly and purchase arms.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Armenian government is seeking to reach an agreement with India on the purchase of Pralay ballistic missiles. According to Indian resources, the purchase of Pralay ballistic missiles should equalize the capabilities of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s missile forces, which are armed with LORA ballistic missiles.

In addition, in March 2024, Armenia placed an order to purchase the second batch of Indian 155-mm ATAGS artillery systems. After receiving the first batch of howitzers, the Armenian Ministry of Defense placed an order for 84 155-mm artillery systems.