Pashinyan changes the rules of the game: If Russia wants to stay in Armenia…

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has once again made a controversial statement regarding the operation and continued presence of Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Armenia, particularly in the city of Gyumri.

Speaking to journalists, Pashinyan expressed his position on Moscow’s military presence as follows:

“We have not raised this issue because Russia is a friendly country to us. If they want, they can withdraw their base as early as tomorrow. But if they want to keep it, we are ready to discuss the conditions under which something we do not need would remain in Armenia!”

There is an important point in Pashinyan’s statement. He is no longer simply saying that “Russia can leave if it wants to”; he is now saying that “if it wants to stay, we are ready to discuss the conditions for its continued presence.”

So, what is Russia offering Yerevan in exchange for remaining in Armenia?

Speaking to TodayPress TV on the issue, Azer Gasimov, secretary for public and political affairs of the AHD Party, said that although the issue of the 102nd Military Base is a subject of discussion between Armenia and Russia, it is not, in essence, directly related to Armenia to a particularly significant extent:

“The point is that the 102nd Military Base was deployed on the southern flank of the Soviet Union against NATO during the Soviet era. In an effort to divert the Soviet Union’s attention from Europe, NATO arranged for Türkiye to join the alliance, following which the Soviet Union maintained two divisions on its southern flank. The main objective was to divert the Soviet Union’s attention to the southern direction in the event of a possible attack, at the cost of the occupation of Türkiye.

“The United States also did not provide Türkiye with modern weapons for this reason. These are facts cited by Turkish generals. To a certain extent, this policy continues today as well. This is precisely why Türkiye has taken serious steps in recent years to develop its own defence industry.

“My point in saying this is that Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Armenia was established with the NATO factor in mind, rather than to ensure Armenia’s security.”

According to the expert, Pashinyan also understands this. Therefore, he is telling Russia that if it wants to remain on Armenian territory, it must pay Armenia in return:

“I believe Putin’s statement that ‘if necessary, we can leave Armenia within a few days’ is nothing more than a bluff. Pashinyan’s statement that he is ‘ready to discuss’ means that he is making Russia understand that a new agreement needs to be concluded. I believe Russia will agree to this as well.”

Giymat Mahir