Shoigu Issues Firm Warning: Details of Phone Call Between Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers

On March 10, a telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergey Shoigu. According to the official statement, the officials discussed a number of issues related to bilateral military cooperation, including the progress of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh and other topics.

However, a source from Past.am in Moscow reports that the real reason for the phone call was a single issue: the Russian side is closely monitoring the events involving the Armed Forces of Armenia and has expressed concern. “Shoigu conveyed to Harutyunyan that they will not tolerate any dismantling of the Armenian army, considering it as part of a Western plan, while any actions by the Armenian authorities against the military are viewed as orders from the West. Harutyunyan attempted to assure that there is no intention to dismantle the army; the issue revolves solely around Onik Gasparyan and those military personnel who have opposed the country’s leadership.

However, according to our sources, Shoigu issued a fairly firm warning that any dismissals other than the removal of Onik Gasparyan would be interpreted as an attempt to dismantle the Armenian army, which is unacceptable for them, as the Armenian army holds strategic importance for Russia in this region and is part of a CSTO member state’s military, among other factors,” the media outlet writes.