Pashinyan says Yerevan has no objection to Russian base withdrawal

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan would not object if Russia decided to withdraw its 102nd Military Base from the country, while stressing that Armenia had never initiated discussions on the issue.

“We have never put the issue of the Russian military base operating in Armenia up for discussion. It was Russia that raised this issue, and we are positioning ourselves around that discussion,” Pashinyan said.

Responding to a question on how Armenia should react to the issue, Pashinyan said: “What are you suggesting we do — cry and lament?”

He argued that the 102nd Military Base is not vital to Armenia’s security, citing the September 2022 events as evidence.

“If they decide to withdraw [the base], we will not object,” Pashinyan said, adding that Armenia had never raised the issue with Russian officials and had not previously discussed it publicly.

“If Russia wants to withdraw it, we have no objection — let them withdraw it. If they do not want to withdraw it, we are ready to discuss the issue,” he added.

By Vafa Guliyeva