Saakashvili will be Forced to Look Toward Gyumri: CIS Expert

Extending the term of Russia’s military base in Armenia is advantageous for not only Russia, but also Armenia and even Baku, said Deputy Director of the Institute of the CIS Vladimir Zharikhin, in an interview with radio station Echo Moscow.

According to the analyst, the only country that needs to be concerned with Russia’s presence in Armenia is Georgia. 

“That time, when Mikheil Saakashvili directs his insatiable gaze toward South Ossetia, he will always be forced to also turn his attention to the back, to Gyumri,” said Zharikhin. 

The CIS Institute Deputy Director also didn’t exclude the possibility of the participation of Russia’s Gyumri military base in military actions if war breaks out between Russia and Georgia. At the same time, Zharikhin noted that this wasn’t the case in the August 2008 Russo-Georgian war.