Armenia is Russia's Key Ally in the South Caucasus, Says Chief of General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov, has held talks with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan, as reported by RIA Novosti.

“I am pleased to welcome you to Moscow. Armenia is a key partner of Russia in the South Caucasus,” stated Gerasimov at the beginning of the discussions.

Gerasimov emphasized that the cooperation between the two countries is being strengthened both bilaterally and within international organizations, primarily within the CSTO framework. He noted that a significant indicator of the high-level bilateral relations is the presence of the Russian 102nd military base operating in Armenia.

“We continue to train quality personnel in the institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Gerasimov highlighted. He also added that assistance was provided during the coronavirus pandemic for the diagnosis of Armenian servicemen, with more than 22,000 tests conducted.

Representatives of the Armenian Ministry of Defense participate every year in large-scale events organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, and delegations are consistently represented at a high level,” said Gerasimov.

He noted that this year, a Moscow conference on international security, international army games, and the “Army-2021” international military-technical forum are taking place. “We expect the participation of delegations and teams from the Armenian Armed Forces in these events, as well as the participation of units in the ‘West-2021’ strategic command-staff exercises,” announced the Chief of the Russian General Staff.

“Today we have the opportunity to discuss current issues of bilateral cooperation in the defense sector,” concluded Valery Gerasimov.