Armenia and Russia Sign Defense Cooperation Program for 2020

On October 29, an official welcoming ceremony was held at the Armenian Ministry of Defense’s administrative complex for a delegation led by Russian Defense Minister, Army General Sergey Shoigu, who arrived on an official visit to Armenia. This was reported by the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

Following the official ceremony, Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan had a private conversation with his Russian counterpart, which was later expanded to include delegations from both sides.

In his welcoming remarks, Minister Tonoyan highly appreciated the progress of Armenian-Russian strategic cooperation and underscored the effectiveness of joint initiatives in the military and military-technical fields. Tonoyan expressed confidence that this visit by the Russian Ministry of Defense delegation would give new impetus to the further development of Armenian-Russian allied relations in the defense sector and contribute to strengthening stability and security in the region.

For his part, the Russian Defense Minister expressed gratitude for the warm welcome, noting that his visit had begun in Gyumri, emphasizing the friendly attitude of the local population towards the personnel of the 102nd Russian military base.

Sergey Shoigu noted with satisfaction the high level of bilateral and multilateral relations in the defense sector and their strategic allied nature. He emphasized the consistent development of cooperation in areas such as joint combat readiness, operational planning, military education, and strengthening the combat capability of the 102nd military base.

During the meeting, there was an exchange of views on the current state of the Armenian-Russian strategic allied partnership, paths and prospects for further cooperation, as well as issues related to regional and international security. The humanitarian mission being carried out in Syria was also discussed.

As a result of the visit, the cooperation program for 2020 between the Armenian and Russian Ministries of Defense was signed, encompassing a wide range of directions for bilateral cooperation.