Russia to Maintain Strategic Partnership with Armenia, Yet Selling More Arms to Azerbaijan

MOSCOW — Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu met with Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss strategic partnership between the two countries.

“We would like to maintain our strategic partnership further,” Shoigu said after the meeting. The Russian minister praised defense cooperation with Armenia, singling out military training and education, rather than arms supplies. The Russian Defense Ministry quoted him as saying that Moscow is “ready” to enroll more than 200 Armenian officers and cadets in Russian military academies this year.

Ohanian said for his part that he was glad to have the opportunity to meet his Russian colleague and “compare notes” on certain issues of defense cooperation with Russia. “I think our regular bilateral meetings and joint events have become a tradition and demonstrate once again that our relations are at a very high level, and our cooperation in the defense sector is developing dynamically”, the Armenian defense minister said, adding that Russia’s assistance to Yerevan is a proof off such cooperation.

Shoygu held separate meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart and praised Russia’s “strategic” military ties with Azerbaijan, signaling Moscow’s readiness to sell more weapons to Baku.

“Our military cooperation has a strategic character, as do all other types of cooperation between our countries,” Shoygu told his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov.

“I think that there is a potential for its further growth and development. We will certainly do everything to ensure that our friendly strategic partnership and ties continue to develop,” he said in remarks cited by the Russian Defense Ministry.