BAKU (RFE/RL)—Moscow and Yerevan are planning to sign an agreement that will bar third countries from deploying military personnel in Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
“We are completing with Armenia the drafting of a document which will guarantee the absence of foreign military personnel there [in Armenia,]” Lavrov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station. “It will guarantee transparency in terms of threats and risks.”
He said that a similar deal is also planned with Kazakhstan, another member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Lavrov made the statement in response to a question about biological research laboratories which have been donated by the United States to Armenia, Georgia and other ex-Soviet states.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in October that Washington seems to be running a clandestine biological weapons lab in Georgia. It said the lab poses a security threat to Russia.
It was reported around that time that Yerevan has allowed Russian officials to inspect similar U.S.-funded facilities in Armenia. The Russians voiced no concerns after those inspections.
Armenia hosts an estimated 4,000 Russian troops as part of its close military ties with Russia. The current Armenian government, which took office in May, has pledged to maintain that alliance. But it has so far has announced no plans to sign the kind of a deal with Moscow that was cited by Lavrov.
Thank you Mr. Lavrov!!!
For all intents and purposes Armenia is a Russian de facto oblast. That being the case, Armenia should immediately demand full and complete political, economical, and military assistance from its mentor. Otherwise, this one sided vanquish mentality will never stand the test of time. Even the most ardent Russophile will eventually protest.
On the contrary. We should slowly release ourselves from any outside dominance and alegances of any kind, and not be dependant on one country or another under the false pretense of calling ourselves “allies”. Also,not to Blackmailed or Dominated by one of your allies through false pretenses of friendship.
Օղաակը սկսած է մտահոգիչ պրկումով մը սեղմուիլ Հայաստանի շուրջ:
Իսկ Ռուսիա տակաւին չշնորհաւորեց Փաշինեանը…
Որովհետեւ Ռուսաստանը Թավշահեղափոխության պատճառով կորցրեց իրեն ենթակայ եւ ստրուկ նախկին պետության հայ ղեկավարները ու մնաց ապշած.
“But it has so far has announced no plans to sign the kind of a deal with Moscow that was cited by Lavrov.”
That’s because it is being decided and implemented behind “closed-doors” without Armenian input. It’s the thugocracy at work.
It’s also interesting that they never discuss the possibility of supplying Armenia with weapons to defend herself. They prefer having Armenia dependent and weak. Having it under their thumb so they can manipulate and blackmail into submission. If it’s Armenia that they really care about, why not arm them? Why not settle the Artsakh conflict? Why even give third countries the opportunity to enter? Why? because what they really want is the sword of Damocles hanging over Armenia at all times. Having the opportunity to throw Armenia to the dogs if it ever satisfied their interests.
This is a normal process, our security has been guaranteed with Russia and we have mutual agreements!
There is no Russian guarantee! That’s all Russian Bull S. When push comes to shove, Russia will side on the side that has the oil and the money. Do not sign any agreement with them if it s one sided deals and will only be beneficial for the Russian side.
I thought we we were independent and sovereign country, and yet we have to take our marching orders from Russians. Where were they when Artsakh was attacked? All they do is force us into a sease fire when our enemy is on the verge of losing the battle. Further more they are also very defensive when it comes to thei military personnel’s criminal activities. They commit murders, atrocities with impunity. Case in point having been the killer of an entire Armenian family near their so-called bases. They refused to hand over the murder soldier to the Armenian authorities to stand trial. Can’t be trusted. Armenia should have the right to do any alliances with any country who is willing to do so and strengthen itself militarily with any means possible. We are being tricked in sighting all kinds of agreements blindly.
Our salvation is in our defense forces and whatever thecnological advancements we can obtain. It was the Russians who made us lose naxhitchevan and Artsakh to begin with through their divide and concur diplomacy.
That’s nothing but bunch of BS!
If the West wants to have Military Presence In Armenia, they are wellcome to have those bases on Western (Wilsonian) Armenia
Not until Russia dissolves all its Bolshevik Era Treaties with the Turkish Republic and aids the incorporation of Western Armenia with the current Armenian Republic.
Sorry Russia, but the time has finally come for you to choose sides.
Not going to happen. The status quo of perpetual dependence has done wonders for Mother Russia.
I would like to see a Russian as well as a US military presence in the Republic with fully operational airfields, the logistics can be worked out. This would put Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran on notice and Armenia in a more strategic position. Israel has a base in Nakhichevan and Iran still kisses up to the Azeris. I would love to see this happen, I believe it would be a first.
Somebody needs to tell the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that Russia can’t have it both ways. Russia can’t sell deadly and offensive weapons to Armenia’s current arch enemy the artificial Azerbaijan republic, a gas station disguised as a country, and expect Armenia to yield to Russia’s duplicitous foreign policy. If Russia feels free to sell weapons to our existential enemy and knowing full well that those weapons will be used against none other than Armenia itself then Armenia should have the right to take any and all steps necessary to secure and defend itself. If Russia, a supposed military ally of Armenia, as an independent state can decide what is good for Russia and act accordingly, despite the fact that it knows Armenia is negatively affected, then why shouldn’t Armenia as an independent state do the same? Well, the only explanation I can come up with is that Russia, unofficially at least, does not view Armenia as independent as we Armenians do. Furthermore, taking advantage of Armenia’s situation being blockaded by genocidal fascist and historical anti-Armenian pan-Turkic enemies on both sides, Russia realizes Armenia’s dependence on Russia to ward off the Turkic horde and therefore thinks it can steer Armenia in any direction it wishes.
To combat this false mentality of Russia, the Armenian leaders must be smart in regards to Russian-Armenian alliance and relationship. They should make it clear to Russia that this relationship isn’t and can’t be a one-way street. On the one hand, they should maintain and strengthen the alliance and, on the other hand, they should make it clear to the Russians that as much as they think Armenia needs Russia to combat and keep racist Turkish enemies at bay that they need Armenia even more for their own existence not only in the region but as a superpower. Let’s face it, the only country Russia can rely on in the entire Caucasus region which is extremely critical to Russia is Armenia. In the South Caucasus, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia no longer has military bases in artificial Azerbaijan. Their bases were closed and they were kicked out of Georgia. They had two major wars in the Northern Caucasus with Chechnya. The only country friendly to Russia in the entire region is Armenia and most likely not by choice anyway. The Russians must be made to realize that if they ever lose Armenia they will have effectively lost their presence in the entire Caucasus and therefore in the Middle East as a result WHILE Russia’s arch enemy NATO is right next door waiting to take advantage of such a situation. This of course won’t happen unless our leaders respect and take our independence seriously and wake the Russians up that the old Soviet days are long over.
If its an ally, why didn’t Russian warn Armenia of the Azeri April war? Did they not know it was about to happen? Of course they did. That’s how much of an “ally” Russia is. Also the Bolshevik treaty of Kars is the very reason Artsakh was given to the invading Tatar Turkish tribes now called Azerbaijan in the first place. TRUST NO ONE!. Only ourselves.. Its the only answer..
Russia is using and continuously insulting Armenia!