YEREVAN. April 14 (Interfax) - The presence of Russian troops in Armenia is not a factor promoting stability in the area, while the EU mission's presence there can serve this purpose, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said.
"The Russian presence on Armenia's borders has existed since the 1990s, and there have been numerous instances of destabilization during this time," Grigoryan said in an interview with Armenia's Civilnet online TV channel, when commenting on Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova's statement that the European Union's presence in the region "will either be used for or will result in an exacerbation and destabilization, and will lead [events] away from a planned peaceful settlement."
Grigoryan said he was confident that the EU mission and European monitors deployed in Armenia "can provide opportunities for stability."