Ishkhan Sagatelyan: The withdrawal of the 102nd Russian base will be another adventure leading Armenia to new threats

ArmInfo. The withdrawal of the 102nd Russian military base would be yet another adventure that would lead to new threats to Armenia’s security. This was stated by Ishkhan Saghatelian, a member of the Armenian parliament from the opposition “Armenia” faction and a representative of the Supreme Council of the ARF “Dashnaktsutyun” (ARFD), at a press conference in Yerevan on September 16.

According to him, their political force takes the position that the base is carrying out the mission assigned to it. “Yes, we believe that this base is fulfilling its mission. Leaving Armenia defenseless, in the jaws of Turkey and Azerbaijan, would be a new adventure that would lead to new security threats,” the opposition politician said.

Saghatelian believes that embarking on this adventure is no more advisable than withdrawing from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). “The statement that, allegedly, if we withdraw from the EAEU, we have no alternative other than joining the European Union (EU) is a lie. And after withdrawing from the CSTO, we have no alternative other than NATO. Consequently, withdrawing from any structures or organizations when there is no other alternative is also an adventure,” the lawmaker added.

Saghatelian once again stated that the 102nd Russian military base ensures the country’s security. “Imagine what might have happened if this base had not been on the Armenian-Turkish border for the past 20 years. Was it not Turkey and Azerbaijan that committed two genocides on Armenian territory? Do they not lay claims to Armenian territories? Consequently, these two countries pose a threat to us, and our resources are insufficient to protect our territorial integrity. In this sense, Russian-Armenian strategic and allied relations are important,” the opposition politician concluded.

It should be noted that on September 3, during a briefing, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Armenian authorities had never raised the issue of withdrawing the 102nd Russian military base from the country, but if Russia decided to take this step, Yerevan would not object. He assured that the Armenian authorities did not see a vital necessity for the base. He made the statement in response to a request to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words that he was ready to withdraw the 102nd base from Armenia “as soon as tomorrow.”

The Russian military base has been stationed in Armenia under an interstate agreement dated 1995. In 2010, amendments were made to the document, under which the duration of its presence on Armenian territory was extended from the initial 25 years to 49 years, until 2044.