Armenia Will Not Tolerate the Occupation of Its Border Regions: Karapetyan to Shoigu

During a working visit to the Russian Federation, Armenian Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan held a private conversation with the Russian Minister of Defense, Army General Sergey Shoigu, followed by a meeting with an expanded delegation. This was reported by the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

During the meeting, the sides discussed a wide range of issues concerning Armenian-Russian allied relations and exchanged opinions on matters of regional and international security.

Congratulating the Armenian Minister of Defense on assuming office, Army General Sergey Shoigu highly appreciated the work recently carried out between the defense ministries of the two countries aimed at developing bilateral cooperation and addressing existing regional issues.

The Russian Minister of Defense emphasized that the Russian Federation will continue to make maximum efforts to strengthen peace in Nagorno-Karabakh and to peacefully resolve the situation in Armenia's border areas.

Taking the opportunity, the Russian Defense Minister expressed gratitude that, despite the existing challenges, Armenia continues to participate in humanitarian missions being carried out in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Expressing thanks to his counterpart for the warm welcome, the Armenian Minister of Defense presented the operational situation surrounding the borders of the Republic of Armenia at his request, emphasizing the mediation efforts made by the Russian Federation in achieving a peaceful resolution of the situation.

Arshak Karapetyan emphasized that Armenia remains committed to establishing sustainable peace in the region and continues negotiations in this direction, while at the same time it will not tolerate the occupation of its border areas and will take all necessary measures to restore territorial integrity.

Taking the opportunity, the Armenian Minister of Defense expressed gratitude for the peacekeeping mission being conducted in Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that with the efforts of Russian peacekeepers, peace has been restored in Nagorno-Karabakh, ensuring uninterrupted communication with the Republic of Armenia.

The Defense Minister highlighted the inadmissibility of provocations and violations of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan from time to time within the peacekeepers' area of responsibility, citing the use of drone strikes recorded today as an example.

Arshak Karapetyan also touched upon the intensive reforms being carried out in the defense sector and thanked his counterpart for the comprehensive support provided in this direction. He emphasized that today Armenian-Russian military-political relations are at a phase of unprecedented elevation.

The defense ministers of the two countries reached several important agreements regarding upcoming cooperation programs.