Moscow intends to keep the agreements on the Russian military base. Zakharova

“The Russian military base located in Gyumri is one of the pillars of the security architecture of both Armenia and the South Caucasus. Moreover, at the moment, no tangible alternative is simply visible. The presence of Russian troops in Armenia is regulated by relevant bilateral agreements. We intend to preserve them and we expect that the official Yerevan will show a similar approach,” he said.

Zakharova claimed that Russia is “ready to discuss the prospects of expanding military cooperation” within the “framework of bilateral relations proposed by Prime Minister Pashinyan”.

“We proceed from the premise that the traditional cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan in this field, as well as the uninterrupted operation of common mechanisms, corresponds to the interests of our countries,” he said.

After meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow will not impose its military presence on Armenia and is ready to leave if Yerevan does not see the need for a military base.

Pashinyan later said that they did not discuss the issue of the military base with Putin. At the same time, the Prime Minister announced that if Russia decides to withdraw the military base from Armenia, Yerevan will not object, and if Moscow wants to stay, the Armenian side is ready to discuss it. According to Pashinyan, the Gyumri military base “has no vital importance” for Armenia.

The Russian military base was established in Armenia in 1995 and guards the Armenian-Turkish border. According to the Armenian-Russian interstate agreement, its deployment period ends in 2044. According to open sources, there are 3000-4000 soldiers in the military base.