On Tuesday (8 October), Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed at the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to withdraw Russian border guards from the Armenian-Iranian frontier as of January 2025 and replace them with Armenian border guards. In addition, the Turkish border will be guarded by both Russian and Armenian guards.
The withdrawal of Russian troops from certain areas in Armenia is part of Yerevan's shift away from Moscow, given its dissatisfaction with the role of Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Pashinian also announced at the CIS summit that Armenia is ready to sign a draft peace agreement with Azerbaijan, recognising mutual territorial integrity, by the end of the month. This peace agreement, he said, would be a significant step forward in stabilising the region.
