Substantive discussions on expanding the presence of Russian border guards in the problem areas of Armenian-Azerbaijani border continue. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin said this in an interview with journalists on July 7 referring to the question of whether there are agreements on the Armenian Prime Minister’s proposal to deploy international observers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in order to ease tension on the border and to withdraw units of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan from the Sotk-Khoznavar area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“Substantive consultations are being held on these issues, these issues are being discussed, including in a practical way. When the appropriate decisions are made, we will inform about it. As you know there are Russian border guards deployed on different areas of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which help to ensure the stability of the situation on the border and it is very important for the local population to feel more comfortable and safe in this unusual situation. Yes, discussions are underway on how to expand thatn presence. I think everything will be resolved based on ensuring Armenia’s security, stability on the border and the implementation of the agreements reached in the trilateral format,” the Russian ambassador said.