Russia to boost military role in Armenia

YEREVAN, Aug 18, 2010 (AFP) - Russia will extend its military presence and guarantee Armenia's security under a new defence deal, Armenia's foreign minister said Wednesday, boosting Moscow's clout in the strategic Caucasus region.

Under a far-reaching deal to be signed this week during a visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow will extend its lease on a military base in Armenia to 2044 and upgrade the mission of the estimated 3,000 Russian troops stationed there, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian told the Russia 24 news channel.

The move is likely to raise alarm bells in neighbouring Azerbaijan, which is locked in a long-simmering conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

"The contract was previously concluded for a period of 25 years but will now be effective for 49 years, starting from 1995," Nalbandian said.

Under the deal, he said, "the Russian military base, along with providing for the interests of the Russian Federation, will with the armed forces of Armenia provide for the security of Armenia."

Nalbandian said the deal also commits Russia to "assist Armenia in securing arms and modern military equipment."

Armenian officials said the deal will deter Azerbaijan from launching a new conflict over Karabakh.

"It will protect not only the borders of Armenia, but also Armenia's security and exclude the possibility of Azerbaijan trying to resolve the Karabakh conflict by force," Eduard Sharmazanov, a spokesman for the ruling Republican Party, told AFP.

Analysts said it was unclear, however, whether Russia would in fact intervene in a new war in the region, since the conflict would likely unfold in Karabakh and surrounding territories that are not part of Armenia.

"Armenia coming under attack is a much different thing than Nagorny Karabakh, which is regarded internationally as part of Azerbaijan. It raises more questions than answers," said Lawrence Sheets, Caucasus project director at the International Crisis Group.

There is a possibility that Russia would get involved if fighting were to spill over into Armenia itself, Sheets said, but it was far from clear how much support Moscow would be willing and able to provide.

Tensions remain high over Karabakh, where ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan broke from Baku's control during a war in the early 1990s that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

At least 10 Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers have been killed in skirmishes over the region this year.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to retake the region by force and in recent years has more than doubled its defence spending.

A spokesman for Azerbaijan's foreign ministry declined to comment on the agreement.

As well as infantry and artillery units, the Russian base, in the Armenian city of Gyumri near the border with Turkey, hosts S-300 missile defence systems and MiG-29 fighter jets, Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Medvedev is due in Armenia for a two-day bilateral visit on Thursday and will stay in the country over the weekend for an informal summit of leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Moscow-led regional security group.


by Mariam Harutunian
(c) 2010 AFP