VIDEO: Nikol Pashinyan Receives Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and His Delegation

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu and his delegation today.

Welcoming the Russian Defense Minister, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted, “Dear Sergey Kuzhugetovich, welcome to Armenia. This is a very important visit. I want to mention that during the war, we constantly felt the support of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, the Prime Minister, and your personal support. I want to thank you for that.

Of course, even before the war, it was a difficult period, but now it is even more complex, and we hope that during this time we will be able to deepen our cooperation with the Russian Federation, including in the field of security, and not only in security but also in military-technical cooperation.

Currently, of course, there is a different military-political situation in our region. It has changed, and we still need to examine all the parameters of that situation. And, of course, I am confident that in the spirit of strategic cooperation and fraternal friendship between Armenia and Russia, our ties will continue to deepen in the near future and in strategic terms, our cooperation will become closer and more strategic. Thank you.”

In his remarks, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated, “Dear Nikol Vovovich, thank you for the reception and the meeting. We have come with specific, concrete issues. You know that after the signed statement, we quickly invited the entire peacekeeping contingent, the deployment of which we completed yesterday, not the day before. Over these days, we have deployed practically throughout the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh with 23 observation posts, controlling the road leading to Stepanakert, the Lachin corridor, and ensuring the movement of refugees returning from there.

In the future, there is significant work expected this time, I hope, towards establishing peaceful life in Karabakh. Of course, our main task is to prevent bloodshed, a task set by our Supreme Commander, and we undoubtedly intend to carry it out. Additionally, we intend to discuss matters related to the further life and work of our peacekeepers and what is necessary for that. And, of course, to discuss all issues related to our cooperation, both military and military-technical. We have come with a large program and hope to realize it. Thank you.”

The meeting addressed a wide range of issues concerning the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the cooperation between Armenia and Russia in military and military-technical fields.