Armenia to seek military cooperation with Russia Russian MP responds to Armenian premier

First Deputy Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Svetlana Zhurova commented on Armenia's refusal of military cooperation with Russia.

In a conversation with Lenta.ru, the MP assessed the statement of the country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with the phrase "these are just words."

Earlier, Pashinyan said that Yerevan can no longer develop military-technical partnership only with Russia. He explained that the country needs to revise the concept of developing its armed forces.

"Armenia cooperated with us because it needed defence. Apparently, they think that they don't need all this defence, compromise, the status quo - anymore. Allegedly, everyone is armed now, and no one will attack anyone. So, Armenia thinks that nothing threatens it anymore and they will manage on their own. Or someone else promised them something.

These are just words; politicians say a lot of things in public now. Probably, in the conditions of sanctions and this difficult situation Armenia makes such statements for the West. As soon as all this is over, Armenia will come back to us with a request for military cooperation," Zhurova replied.

On February 1, Pashinyan rebuked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for leaving the republic alone with its problems at a crucial moment.

"It turned out that the CSTO not only failed to provide its part of Armenia's security but at the most decisive moment said: ‘Look, solve your own problems,’" he said.