Armenian-Russian agreement on Joint Regional Air Defense in the Caucasus region will upgrade the security of Armenia's air space, Naira Zohrabyan, the head of the Prosperous Armenia Party, said in the parliament on June 29.
She said the agreement became a reason for political manipulations. "It appears that some politicians in Armenia have not even read the agreement and just fulfill the order of geopolitical centers by opposing it," the parliamentarian said. She urged the colleagues to refrain from loud statements that bear no relation to the real state of affairs.
In her worlds, these politicians "have misled the public, meantime the document has two big positive aspects: it will help make Armenia's air space more secure and use the fighter jets of the Russian military base. If there are any politicians that can offer a better option, let's us discuss their suggestions."
Zohrabyan advised not to manipulate the results of the April war and sale of the Russian offensive arms to Azerbaijan. "We will continue raising this issue at international organizations even after the agreement is ratified. Nothing will change," she said.
The Parliament is looking to ratify the above agreement at its extraordinary meeting on June 27. According to the agreement, in time of peace the Armenian side will have the right to use the system at its own discretion and time of war there will be a joint use of the system.
To recall, on October 23, 2015, the Russian Government approved the agreement on creation of a joint air defense system with Armenia in the Caucasus region of collective security. The document was submitted for the Russian President's ratification. The Russian President announced the creation of the air defense system in November 2013. On November 11, Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered to sign agreement between Russia and Armenia on creating joint air defense system with Armenia in the Caucasus region of collective security. On December 23, 2015, Armenia's Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu signed an agreement on creation of a joint air defense system with Armenia in the Caucasus region of collective security. Some Armenian military experts think the joint air defense system is already operating, given the presence of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, Russian S-300 systems and MiG-29 planes, as well as the joint command system in the North Caucasus.