Epress.am News from Armenia
“They’ve always asked us, why do you tolerate Russian military bases in Armenia? We’ve explained it to both the US and other interested countries: give us another guarantee for security, let’s put the issue of removing the military bases off till tomorrow,” said National Assembly deputy, Armenian Revolutionary Federation–Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamyan, speaking to journalists today. He stated that the fore-mentioned proposal remained unanswered.
The treaty to extend the term of Russia’s military base in Armenia, according to the MP, indicates a new level of security guarantees in Armenia.
“It’s no secret to anyone that 80%, if not more, of [Armenia’s] military security today is conditioned by relations with Russia,” said the MP.
When it comes to military security, Armenia has no other choice, believes Rustamyan: “Any step to raise that volume, naturally, is positive.”
Armenia, according to the ARF-D representative, hasn’t taken any new steps because “from 1995, it had those bases in its territory, the volume has changed, the timelines have changed.”