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  • Armenia-Russia: Senior Military Officials From Moscow Discuss Prospe

    ARMENIA-RUSSIA: SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIALS FROM MOSCOW DISCUSS PROSPECTS OF STRONGER COOPERATION IN YEREVAN

    News | 30.01.13 | 10:45

    Photo: www.president.am

    President Serzh Sargsyan received the Minister of Defense of the
    Russian Federation Sergei Shoygu (left)

    By Naira Hayrumyan ArmeniaNow correspondent

    On January 28, which was officially marked as Army Day in Armenia,
    the South Caucasus country was unexpectedly visited by Russian Defense
    Minister Sergey Shoygu and Collective Security Treaty Organization
    (CSTO) Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha, who had an impressive
    delegation with him.

    Enlarge Photo RA Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan hosts his Russian
    counterpart Sergey Shoygu (right)

    While the visits were described as 'scheduled' ones, as a matter of
    fact both took place in an unannounced manner.

    During their meetings with the top leadership of Armenia the Russian
    officials gave "assurances' that the military cooperation between
    Armenia and Russia, both bilateral ties and ties within the framework
    of the CSTO, would "further expand and deepen".

    During a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Seyran
    Ohanyan on Tuesday, Shoygu explained that the matter concerned
    "additional elements of security of Armenia." He did not elaborate
    on that.

    The visit to Armenia by Russian Defense Minister Shoygu coincided with
    the meetings of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan with
    the OSCE Minsk Group co-heads in Paris, France. The meetings also
    discussed the issue of the Stepanakert airport. In a statement, the
    Co-Chairs included a reference to their own statement on the airport
    of July 13, 2012, in which they noted: "The Co-Chairs received renewed
    assurances from the sides that they will reject any threat or use of
    force against civil aircraft, pursue the matter through diplomatic
    steps, and refrain from politicizing the issue."

    In fact, the parties gave guarantees of the non-use of force against
    civil aircraft. This means either that the question now concerns not
    civil, but military aircraft or that the Co-Chairs can't agree on
    who should be in charge of ensuring the security of the airport.

    Probably Russia, willfully or with the consent of the other co-chair
    countries, the United States and France, has decided to deploy modern
    air defense systems in Karabakh to become a "guarantor" of Karabakh's
    security, and at the same time get a military airport in the strategic
    location. It is not excluded that the matter concerns joint use of
    the airport by the Russian forces and NATO.

    "I don't think that any state today will, indeed, allow itself
    to destroy civilian aircraft. So I don't treat this information
    seriously," said CSTO Secretary General Bordyuzha in Yerevan, terming
    Azerbaijan's threats to shoot down planes a 'bad joke'. But in doing
    so he only reaffirmed that the matter concerns non-civilian aircraft.

    Either way, the visit of two senior Russian military officials to
    Armenia 20 days before the presidential election and on an official
    holiday, Army Day, looked like a sign of Russia's ultimate return
    to Armenia.

    "We are particularly pleased that [your visit] is taking place during
    the days when the Armenian Army is celebrating the 21st anniversary
    of its establishment. This is very symbolic and in full accordance
    with the spirit and dynamic trends of the deepening Armenian-Russian
    alliance," said Armenian Minister Ohanyan.

    For several months before the election, President Sargsyan has been
    trying to build his policy on attempts to diversify the country's
    foreign-policy orientation, reducing dependence on Russia by means
    of establishing closer relations with the European Union and the
    United States.

    But less than three weeks before the ballot in which Sargsyan hopes
    to be reelected to the number one political post in the country,
    and especially after the visits of Shoygu and Bordyuzha, there seems
    to be little left from that attempt at diversification. Meanwhile,
    in Yerevan Armenia and Russia signed a memorandum on the foundation
    of a CSTO academy. It was said that chassis for Russian KamAZ trucks
    will be assembled in Armenia where service centers for the maintenance
    of military equipment will also be founded. Bordyuzha reminded that
    some of these centers are already functioning as centers for servicing
    the vehicles of the Armenian Armed Forces.

    According to Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia
    Artur Baghdasaryan, in 2013 Armenia will host more than two dozen
    events within the framework of its cooperation with the CSTO.

    Baghdasaryan also said that the CSTO Academy will start functioning
    already in a few months. "This is going to be a very serious analytical
    center," the Armenian official underscored.

    http://armenianow.com/news/42941/rmenia_russia_defense_minister_sergey_shoygu_visit

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