The Russian military base in Armenia and the local armed forces will
secure the republic, Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Ara Nazaryan
said at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, News Armenia reports.
The Constitutional Court considered an extension of the base’s terms
of presence and the Russian-Armenian deal on trade offices and
readmission.
The agreement had the term “security of the former Soviet border”.
Today it concerns the whole territory of Armenia. The document
includes the inviolability of the territory and the borders of
Armenia.
Nazaryan underlined that Russia and Armenia cooperate within the
Collective Security Treaty of 1992.
The deal on the Russian military base in Gyumri is to be reconsidered
once every 5 years for extension. Refusal to extend the terms requires
informing the other side within at least half a year before expiration
of the 5-year period.
Russia and Yerevan signed a protocol on amendments to the deal during
the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Yerevan on August
20, 2010. The agreement on the presence of the military base in Gyumri
was signed in 1995. The amendments extended the presence of the base
by 49 years, until 2046, starting from ratification in 1997.
