YEREVAN, Armenia — Hundreds of Russian soldiers will stand down from their positions along Armenia’s borders, the Kremlin confirmed, marking a significant rift between the two former allies.
Hayk Konjoryan, the parliamentary leader of Armenia’s governing Civil Contract party, wrote Thursday that “an agreement had been reached” to withdraw Russian border guards from the regions of Tavush, Syunik, Vyats Dzor, Gegharkunik and Ararat, which sit along the tense frontier with neighboring Azerbaijan.
The announcement comes one day after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss “the most important bilateral issues and regional issues.”
