French president calls on the EU to `help` Armenia secure its borders  without Russian troops

ArmInfo. French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to "help" Armenia secure its borders without the involvement of Russian troops stationed in  the republic.

"We pretend it doesn't exist, but there are still 4,000 Russian  soldiers on Armenian territory, meaning more than 1,000 border  guards. Therefore, Europe must commit to helping this country secure  its borders more independently," he said, speaking to French  compatriots in the republic, TASS reports.

Macron also stated that improving mobile communications and  abolishing roaming charges will be discussed at the upcoming  Armenia-EU summit on Tuesday. According to him, this will strengthen  cooperation with the EU Border Management Agency Frontex.

On February 26, speaking at the Polish Institute of International  Affairs, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in response to a  question about whether Yerevan had approached Moscow to dismantle the  102nd Russian military base located in the country, stated that the  republic had no such plans.

The Russian military base is stationed in Armenia under a 1995  interstate treaty. In 2010, the document was amended, extending its  initial 25-year tenure to 49 years, until 2044.