Epress.am News from Armenia
“Without powerful, renewed and strong national security, the development of other sectors is not possible; in this sense, I place high importance on Armenia-Russia cooperation,” said Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) press spokesperson, MP Eduard Sharmazanov, at a press conference today, referring to Russia’s plans to extend its Gyumri military base contract.
Turning his attention to recent media reports asking whether Armenia can secure its national security itself, the National Assembly deputy stated that to have a stable and strong security, it’s necessary for the state to be part of this or that military-political bloc.
“Our Western neighbor is a NATO member, a number of CIS are CSTO member countries, and the other part are moving toward NATO,” he said.
According to Sharmazanov, “considering our [Armenia’s] eastern and western neighbors’ statements, we should be able to develop mechanisms for balance.”
The contract to extend Russia’s military presence, in the RPA secretary’s opinion, solves the issue of balancing forces.
Sharmazanov stated that after the contract is signed and put into force, the Russian military base will change its function and will protect not only Armenia’s borders, but also Armenia’s security. At that time, according to the MP, a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be practically ruled out.
Sharmazanov is convinced that “Armenian-Russian military cooperation is one of the components our national security.”