Russia ratifies military base agreement with Armenia

ITAR-TASS news agency
23 Nov 04

Moscow, 23 November: At today’s plenary session the State Duma
unanimously ratified a protocol on amendments to the treaty between
the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia on a Russian
military base in Armenia. The protocol was signed in Yerevan on 11
November 2003.

The ratification of the protocol “will make it possible to bring the
treaty between Russia and Armenia on a Russian military base in line
with the spirit and letter of the treaty on friendship, cooperation and
mutual help between Russian and Armenia of 29 August 1997”, said the
first deputy head of the main directorate for international military
cooperation of the Russian Defence Ministry, Albert Druzhinin, who
presented the document to the deputies.

He stressed that “the presence of a Russian military base in Armenia
has been prompted by Russia’s military and political interests and
a wish to stabilize the situation in the region”.

Armenia ratified the protocol on 28 April 2004.