The Armenian authorities plan to remove the Russian border guards from the Akhurik border checkpoint on the Turkish border in the near future, a source in diplomatic circles has told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to the source, the decision to hand over the Akhurik checkpoint to Armenian border guards has already been made and even a respective flagpole has been installed.

However, the Russian border guards will remain at the checkpoint.

The condition of the railway to Turkey is currently being assessed.

According to other some sources, the Turkish side has already begun construction on its section of the Margara border checkpoint with Armenia. Thus, on the one hand, the start of construction by the Turkish side, and on the other, the alleged commissioning of Akhurik, indicate the seriousness of the intentions to reopen the Armenian-Turkish border in the foreseeable future.

But in private conversations, Armenian law enforcement officials express concern about a possible increase in border violations. According to official data, 160 cases of illegal crossing of the Armenian state border were registered in 2024, compared to 78 cases in 2023. The number of cases increased by 82, or 105.1 percent.

These border trespassers are usually from “third world” countries, such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who view Armenia as a transit point.

The problem is further complicated by the fact that Armenia often shows extreme humanity by releasing them or granting them refugee status, as a result of which this flow of border trespassers increases, which is clearly shown by the abovementioned figures.