Armenia Interested In Expanding Russia's Military Base In Gyumri - Defense Minister

Armenia is interested in expanding the 102nd military base of the Russian armed forces' Southern Military District in the eastern Armenian city of Gyumri, Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan told Sputnik on Monday

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2021) Armenia is interested in expanding the 102nd military base of the Russian armed forces' Southern Military District in the eastern Armenian city of Gyumri, Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan told Sputnik on Monday.

"The issue of expanding and strengthening the Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia has also been on the agenda. And the Armenian side has always been interested in this for a simple reason that the base is included at full strength in the United Group of Forces of the Armenian and Russian armed forces. And, therefore, the expansion of the base' capabilities automatically leads to the increase of the joint group's potential that operates on a bilateral basis in the Caucasus region of the collective security," the minister said.

Harutyunyan stressed that the Russian defense ministry took into account the recent developments in the region and made the right decisions regarding the expansion of the base' capability, adding that there was no need to establish a second Russian military base in the country.

"As for the deployment of an additional military unit of the Russian armed forces on the Republic's territory, I think that there is no urgent need for this. Furthermore, the legal framework between our states has set out the status and regulates the activities of only one Russian base," Harutyunyan said.

The minister added that Russia and Armenia considered the relocation of some unit from the Russian base further to the east of Armenia.

"It would be probably more accurate to talk about the possibility of the relocation of some military unit from the Russian military base to the eastern direction in Armenia. In this regard, the respecting joint consideration of the issue is going on," Harutyunyan said.

Russia's 102nd base of the southern military district has been stationed in Armenia since 1995. In 2010, Moscow and Yerevan signed an agreement on the extension of Moscow's lease of the military facility until 2044.