Russia never offered Armenia complete withdrawal of frontier guards-  Maria Zakharova 

ArmInfo.Moscow sees a lot of speculation regarding the meeting of the leaders of Armenia and  Russia in Moscow on May 8. This was stated on May 15 during a weekly briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in response to clarification as to whether it could be assumed that Moscow offered Pashinyan to completely withdraw Russian troops from the Republic of Armenia.

"The reports that the Russian side allegedly proposed to completely  withdraw its border guards from the territory of Armenia do not  correspond to reality. This is not true. Other sources stated that  the withdrawal of border guards is allegedly being carried out within  the framework of agreements between Baku and Yerevan on not placing  representatives of third countries on the joint border "All this is  speculation," the diplomat said.

According to her, the reality is that during the negotiations between  the leaders of Russia and Armenia in Moscow, at the request of the  Armenian side, the withdrawal of Russian border guards from a number  of regions of the Republic of Armenia bordering Azerbaijan was  discussed in connection with their fulfillment of previously assigned  tasks.

After negotiations between the leaders of Armenia and Russia in  Moscow on May 8, the head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling  Civil Contract party, Hayk Konjorian, said that Russian border guards  would leave the Gegharkunik, Syunik, Tavush, Ararat and Vayots Dzor  regions, where they were after the 44-day war, on the initiative of  the Government of Armenia, as well as the Zvartnots airport.

After this, on May 10, the press secretary of the Russian president,  Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that the process of withdrawal of Russian  military and border guards from a number of regions of Armenia was  agreed upon on May 8 in Moscow during a meeting of the heads of  Armenia and Russia. He added that at the request of Yerevan, Russian  border guards will continue to be on the Armenian-Turkish and  Armenian- Iranian borders.

The basis for the current presence of Russian border guards in  Armenia is the interstate agreement on the status of Russian border  troops on the territory of the republic, concluded in Yerevan on  September 30, 1992.

The border department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in Armenia  includes 4 border detachments - in Gyumri, Armavir, Artashat and  Meghri, as well as a separate checkpoint at Yerevan Zvartnots  International Airport. The maintenance of Russian border guards in  Armenia is provided approximately equally by the governments of the  two states. Unlike the Russian military base, where exclusively  Russian citizens serve, Armenian citizens also have the right to  serve in the border troops of the Russian Federation in the republic.