Replacing the Armenian army on the border with Azerbaijan with border guard troops should be part of the final settlement. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan stated this during Thursday’s joint news conference with visiting OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani. Mirzoyan noted this when asked whether Azerbaijan was changing its army with border guards, and what was connected with the recent infiltration of the Azerbaijani military into Armenia territory.
The Armenian FM noted that in all countries the functions of border protection are assigned to border guards, and there are many differences between the training and even the equipment of the army and the border guard troops.
According to Mirzoyan, handing over border protection to border guards will considerably reduce the probability of new conflicts, including infiltration.
"This is not a new idea. We have proposed before, and now the withdrawal of [army] troops [from the border] is being discussed. I will disclose the secret. This is part of the draft peace treaty [with Azerbaijan]—at least from our side. We attach importance to the introduction of that mechanism. There is such a mechanism in some parts of the border. Experience shows that the probability of clashes in those sectors is lower," said Mirzoyan.
At the same time, however, the Armenian FM recorded the continuation of aggressive rhetoric and policy by Azerbaijan.