MOSCOW (RFE/RL)–Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov underlined the “strategic” character of his country’s relationship with Armenia during talks with his visiting Armenian counterpart, Seyran Ohanian, on Wednesday.
Ohanian was in Moscow on a working visit aimed at reviewing Armenia’s close military ties with Russia and their future.
“The ministers discussed the prospects of military and military-technological cooperation between Russia and Armenia, as well as the issue of Armenian servicemen studying at the Russian Defense Ministry’s academies,” the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Irina Kovalchuk as saying.
The Armenian Defense Ministry issued a virtually identical statement on the talks. “Anatoly Serdyukov stressed that Russian-Armenian cooperation in the military sphere has a strategic character,” it said. No further details were reported.
Moscow and Yerevan already highlighted that cooperation last month when they agreed to work together in exporting weapons and other military equipment to third countries. Ohanian and a visiting senior Russian official signed relevant deal in Yerevan during a meeting of a Russian-Armenian inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation. No details of the agreement were made public, with Ohanian saying only that it will further deepen bilateral defense links.
Ohanian’s talks in Moscow coincided with the start of a two-day visit to Armenia by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The latter is due to hold meetings with President Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian which the Russian Foreign Ministry said will focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
A ministry spokesman positively assessed on Wednesday the current state of Russian-Armenian relations. “Despite global crisis manifestations, Russian-Armenian interaction in the trade-economic, military-political, humanitarian and inter-regional areas is on a largely positive development trend,” Andrey Nesterenko said, according to Itar-Tass.
Please do not trust Russia, I have leaved there i know….They talk about military cooperation with Armenia this months then sign the same deal with Azer. next month, Russian people hate us, especialy the younger generation…we dont need them, let them keep their weapons……I think all of us as a nation should contribute everything we have to just join EU. We need that Security….Armenia is Europe…
Long live Mother Russia!
Face reality folks, from the times of David Bek to the war of liberation in Artsakh our close relationship with Russians, and communists, made it possible to secure an Armenian nation in the Caucasus – in perhaps the most unforgiving and volatile place on earth. Had it not been for the Russian Empire we would not have had a revolutionary movement in the late 19th century, we would we have had a nation in the Caucasus, nor would we have had a modern metropolis called Yerevan… And had it not been for the modern Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Turkey would have destroyed Armenia/Artsakh a very-very long time ago… Big talking diasporans are not the reason why Turks and Azeris don’t cross the Armenian border with tanks – its Russians. The bottom line is, the reason why we enjoy a secure republic in the Caucasus, despite all it internal and external problems, is because of its intimate relationship with Russia.
I am astounded at how ignorant we Armenians have become. I really wish you folks here are not an accurate representation of my people…
I agree with “Angry Armenian”. I know many people that live in Moscow, Russia and they tell me that the younger generation is not very fond of Armenians and the Government is using Armenians like the US is using turks. Armenian people need to open their eyes and see whats really out there.