By Alexander Pracht
Border security operations at the Margara checkpoint on the Armenia-Turkey border are now being carried out exclusively by the Armenian Border Guard Forces, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Friday.
The Margara checkpoint is currently non-operational as the border between Armenia and Turkey is closed. The Armenian government renovated the Soviet-era checkpoint in 2022 after agreeing with Ankara to work toward opening the border for diplomatic passports holders and nationals of third countries. This was followed by deploying Russian border guards to perform permanent service there. The two countries’ negotiators stated the limited opening would occur in summer 2023, however nearly two years later it still closed, believed to be due to pressure from Azerbaijan.
The Margara checkpoint was used once in February 2023 when the Armenian government delivered humanitarian aid to Turkey following devastating earthquakes. This was the crossing’s only operational use since Armenia’s independence.
“I express my gratitude to the Russian FSB Border Guard Forces for their service at this section of the Armenia-Turkey state border,” Pashinyan wrote, adding that this development means that all of Armenia’s border checkpoints, both opened and closed, are now operated by its own border officers.
A similar handover occurred in January when Armenian forces replaced Russian troops at Armenia’s only checkpoint on the Iranian border. Prime Minister Pashinyan has also requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove Russian border guards from the border with Azerbaijan last spring. Although there have been reports of Russians withdrawing from several positions along that frontier, it remains unclear whether they have fully pulled their troops from these areas.
Russian border guards have been stationed along Armenia’s borders since the country gained independence in 1991. Their presence has been gradually diminishing, with Russian forces departing from Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport last August after more than 30 years of service.
Despite concerns that Armenia’s push for border control sovereignty might trigger tensions with Moscow, the two sides have managed to arrange these withdrawals while maintaining respectful public relations. The measured approach has allowed for a gradual transition of border security responsibilities to Armenian forces without public diplomatic friction.
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