Russia`s Federation Council concerned over Yerevan`s hasty decision on withdrawal of Russian border guards from Zvartnots airport
ArmInfo.The Federation Council expressed concern about Yerevan's haste in making a decision on the withdrawal of Russian border guards from Yerevan Zvartnots airport.
On March 6, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said that Armenia sent an official letter to the Russian authorities notifying them of the termination of the presence of Russian border guards at Zvartnots airport.
First Deputy Head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov, commenting on the situation to the Parliamentary Gazeta, noted that there were no proposals from official Yerevan to create a mixed commission - only information about the decision made as a fait accompli. According to him, the haste with which Yerevan made the decision is also alarming. "To be honest, it is not clear to me why the Russian border guards prevented the Armenians at the airport. We can only guess about this. All decisions - who should be allowed into the country and who should not - were made by the Armenian authorities independently," the senator said.
Dzhabarov did not deny that today Russian-Armenian relations are not going through the best of times. In particular, the Armenian leadership cannot decide on its position on the country's participation in the CSTO, while some politicians in Yerevan believe that it is beneficial for Armenia to be a member of the EU.
"I'm afraid that the decision to end the presence of Russian FSS border guards at Zvartnots airport will not improve the climate of Russian-Armenian relations. I believe that the large Armenian diaspora in Russia, which has both family, business and political ties in Armenia, can have its say here," he said.
At the same time, Dzhabarov is confident that no one except Russia will protect Armenia in the region. "The sooner Yerevan understands this, the better for the people of Armenia. Yes, someone is talking about France. But we saw how quite recently the French military left, one might say, fled from Central Africa," the Russian senator noted.
The status of Russian border troops located on Armenian territory is regulated by the relevant agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia. The document was signed in Yerevan on September 30, 1992. It states, in particular, that our border troops coordinate their actions to protect the state border with the President and Government of Armenia. "The border troops of the Russian Federation located on the territory of the Republic of Armenia respect the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, comply with local legislation and do not allow interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Armenia," the agreement states.
In turn, local authorities, according to the document, "respect the legal status of the border troops of the Russian Federation, the persons included in their composition, and the family members of these persons and do not allow any actions that make it difficult for the border troops of the Russian Federation to carry out their tasks." "They take the necessary measures, agreed upon with the border troops of the Russian Federation, to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of the troops' property, including measures to prevent any illegal actions," follows from the text of the agreement.
At the same time, to resolve issues related to the stay of Russian border guards in Armenia, the parties to the treaty must appoint their authorized representatives (Article 27), and to resolve issues related to the interpretation or application of the treaty, "a mixed commission is created, to which each party appoints three their representatives" (Article 28). If such a commission is unable to resolve the issue submitted to it, it is "transferred for resolution through diplomatic channels as soon as possible." Moreover, the contract itself can be changed with the consent of both parties (Article 29).