RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA NOT TARGETED AGAINST THIRD COUNTRIES – SERGEI IVANOV (PART 2)

Interfax News Agency
April 11, 2007 Wednesday 1:42 PM MSK

The Russian military base in Armenia is not designed to threaten third
countries, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said.

"Yes, there is a Russian base there, and it feels quite comfortable
and ensures Armenia’s and Russia’s security. The base’s scale and its
plans are not aggressive in their nature and are not targeted at third
countries, but this makes it possible to efficiently resolve security
problems within the CSTO [the Collective Security Treaty Organization]
framework," Ivanov said at a press conference in Yerevan on Wednesday.

"The presence of a base here is an element of strategic partnership,
but it would be absolutely incorrect to say that everything is
concentrated on the presence of this base. This also includes the
economy, culture, and the Russian language – there are a lot of
components making up the idea of strategic partnership," he said.

"I believe Armenia is our strategic partner. This is not measured only
by a military factor, but also by hundreds and thousands of years of
our ties and our common history and culture," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress