ArmInfo. Russia is a strategic ally of Armenia, on May 9 Acting Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan stated at a press conference in Yerevan, answering the question whether the processes in the country affected somehow the cooperation with Russia in a defense sphere.
"Together we have come a long way and we have established institutions. It is clear that any event, any changes should disturb any involved party, cause interest and may affect the processes. We have often talked about the Russian factor in these processes and we were accused of frightening Russia, but this is nonsense. Nobody was going to intimidate anyone and nothing, but only the faction of the Republican Party reminded that there is this factor that must be taken into account, "the minister said.
At that, he expressed conviction that people making decisions today - the prime minister and his team - are fully aware of this factor and will do everything to preserve the existing relations. Sargsyan believes that regardless of how deeply Armenia's cooperation with other countries and directions is, from the point of view of military cooperation, ties with Russia are of exceptional importance. <And you need to make a lot of efforts to preserve and develop these contacts. This is of exceptional importance. Yesterday we discussed this issue in detail with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. I hope that the team that will be formed and those decisions that will be adopted will help preserve these contacts and increase their effectiveness. Mr. Pashinyan promised about this during his speech at the National Assembly of Armenia, "he said. At the same time, Sargsyan expressed confidence that everything will be fine.