On more Russian military base in Armenia project with ambitious goals  - Saro Saroyan

ArmInfo.The Russian military contingent is performing three major tasks in the South Caucasus: ensuring Armenia's security in Turkey's direction, carrying out a  peacekeeping mission in Artsakh and, now, ensuring the security along  the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, independent analyst Saro Saroyan  said in an interview with ArmInfo. 

"I mean the earth works, presence of building machinery, visits of  Russian military personnel to Berd. The local residents report  problems involving the territorial jurisdiction. So the issue of  construction of a Russian military base in Berd has remained  unsettled for over a month. However, the very intention to construct  a base there is evidence of the current situation along the  Armenian-Azerbaijani border," he said. 

The Zhoghovurd (People) newspaper earlier reported that Armenia's  government approved a decision on deployment of one more Russian  military base in Armenia's north-west, in Berd, Tavush province.  Planned redeployment of Russian troops was reported as well. However,  a high-ranking official of Armenia's security services stated  recently that the rumors were unfounded.

According to Mr Saroyan, the situation can be understood in the  context of geographical location of the prospective Russian military  base - exactly along the midline of the Armenian-Azerbaijani and  Georgian- Iranian borders. Thus, it is Berd that s the most  convenient location for guarding the trunk line and deploying Russian  frontier posts both along the northern and southern sections of the  border. 

"Russia needed that to accomplish its own political and geopolitical  tasks - under the pretext of ensuring Armenia's security. Russian  troops' presence along the border with Azerbaijan is Moscow's trump  card in its future relations - or rather, bargaining - with Ankara,  which will henceforth be capable of influencing the situation on the  Armenian-Azerbaijani border only by means of agreements with Russia.  This situation is the result of the fallacious Armenian political  thought that Armenia is allegedly sacrificing its independent  decisions to security. In fact, however, Armenia, after losing part  of its sovereignty, is receiving new threats," Mr Saroyan said.