Kremlin announces withdrawal of its troops from number of Armenian oblasts

The Kremlin said that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed on Wednesday to withdraw Russian military personnel from a number of oblasts of Armenia. Still, some troops will remain on Armenia’s border with Türkiye and Iran.

As reported by Russian agency Interfax, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the head of the Armenian government said: "Today, due to the changed conditions, there is no such need anymore."

"Therefore... Putin agreed, and the withdrawal of our military and border guards was agreed," Peskov said.

At the same time, "at the request of the Armenian side, our border guards will remain on the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Iranian borders",  the Kremlin spokesman noted.

"They will remain there and continue to perform their functions," Peskov added.

Armenia decided not to participate in financing the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) activities, a military-political bloc that is de facto headed by Russia.

In February, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country suspended participation in the CSTO. Then he clarified that the country's final decision on participation in the organisation will depend on whether they explain what they see as their "area of responsibility" in Armenia.