YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Panorama.am) — Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev wrapped up on Tuesday, August 13, a two-day visit to Armenia which focused on close defense and security ties between the two countries.
Patrushev was reported to describe as “productive” his talks with his Armenian counterpart, Armen Grigoryan, when he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the end of the trip.
According to an Armenian government statement, Pashinyan and Patrushev discussed not only Russian-Armenian relations but also the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as other “regional and international security developments and challenges.” The statement cited Pashinyan as saying that “strategic cooperation between Armenia and Russia is dynamically developing.”
Pashinyan also noted that it is Patrushev’s first visit to Yerevan since last year’s Velvet Revolution that brought down Armenia’s former government.
Patrushev and Grigoryan praised the current state of bilateral military ties at their separate talks. A statement by Armenia’s National Security Council said they agreed on the need to set up more Russian-Armenian defense enterprises.
They also discussed “the issue of regulating arms sales to third countries,” the statement said without elaborating. It apparently referred to Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan and Turkey which have raised concerns in Armenia. The current and previous Armenian governments have been particularly worried about Moscow’s large-scale defense contracts with Baku.
