Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, shakes hands with President Serge Sarkisian

By Alexander Tagvoryan

YEREVAN, August 21–On Friday, the meeting between the Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev  yielded a new military cooperation agreement among others.

The presidents had met about 30 times since 2008, but this meeting was somewhat special, because it took place during the first official visit of Medvedev to Armenia.

“Our meeting took place, as always, in a confidential atmosphere, and we had a substantive and frank dialog,” said President Serge Sarkisian on Friday, during the press conference.

“The dynamics of our meetings shows the special, cooperate, allied relations that bind Russia and Armenia, and, of course, the very good, friendly relations between the leaders of the two countries,” said Medvedev.

During the meeting, issues concerning the Armenian-Russian economic and military cooperation, regional and international security were discussed.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, with President Serge Sarkisian

After the talks between the two presidents, a protocol to extend the stay of the Russian military base in Armenia was signed. This document makes changes in the current Treaty on the Russian military base in Armenia. According to these changes, the stay of the Russian military base in Armenia is extended to 49 years, instead of 25. Also, during its stay in Armenia, the Russian military base will not only protect the interests of the Russian Federation, but also provide to the safety of the Republic of Armenia, along with the Armenian armed forces.

“The Russian side undertook a commitment on guaranteeing the military security of the Republic of Armenia with the joint forces, and the promotion of equipping our armed forces with modern types of weapons,” said the President of Armenia.

Sarkisian also said that now “the scope of its geographic and strategic responsibility” is expanded, since the part that said that the operations of the Russian military base were limited to the external borders of the former USSR.

Medvedev said that this agreement was really important, because it was intended to preserve peace and security in South Caucasus.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, with President Serge Sarkisian

The Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) problem was also discussed during the meeting of the two presidents.

Sarkisian said that Armenia’s position on this question remains unchanged. “We believe that conflicts should be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, without the use of force or threat of force, in strict compliance with the international law and under those formats that exist and have recently been applied in practice,” he said.

“I want to reiterate that we are ready for a constructive search for solutions, based on your suggestions, made during the tripartite meeting in St. Petersburg,” said Sarkisian to Medvedev.

In response, Medvedev said that Russia “is ready to continue its mediatory mission, to assist in this process, contribute to finding a political solution on the basis of mutually acceptable agreements in the overall work through the OSCE Minsk Group and in bilateral contacts with Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Yerevan Report