On July 31, Russia completed the withdrawal of its border guards from Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport, a move Armenia demanded earlier this year amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

For decades, Russian border guards have been stationed at Zvartnots and along Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran as part of close military ties between the two countries. In March, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan announced that his government had given Moscow until August 1 to remove these forces, asserting that Armenia can independently handle border controls at the airport.

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized this decision, warning that it could inflict “irreparable damage” on Russian-Armenian relations and jeopardize Armenia’s security and economic development. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan agreed to withdraw during a meeting in Moscow in May.

The process concluded with a farewell ceremony for the few dozen officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) at Zvartnots. Edgar Hunanyan, the newly appointed commander of Armenian border troops, thanked the Russian officers for their service. He emphasized that the Armenian side would utilize the “experience and skills of Russian border guards passed on during more than 32 years of joint service.”

It became clear later on August 5 that Armenia will not participate in the upcoming CSTO Cobalt 2024 military exercises, the TASS  news agency reported, citing a statement from the National Guard of Russia. The exercises are scheduled for August 14-16 in Russia, and Armenia is not on the list of participants.