Past.am reports that Russia is concerned about the events in regard to the Armed Forces of Armenia.
“Today Minister of Defense of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan and Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, army general Sergey Shoygu had a phone conversation. According to the official press release, the counterparts touched upon several issues related to the countries’ military cooperation, the course of implementation of the mission of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh and other issues. However, Past.am’s insider from Moscow reports that there was actually one occasion for the phone conversation, that is, the Russian side is keeping the events regarding the Armed Forces of Armenia in its focus and is concerned about them. Shoygu told Harutyunyan that Russia won’t tolerate destruction of the Armenian Army and views it as the plan of the West, and the Armenian authorities’ encroachments against the army — ordered by the West. Harutyunyan tried to assure that there is no aim to destroy the army and that the only problem is Onik Gasparyan and the servicemen who have gone against the country’s leadership. However, according to Past.am’s sources, Shoygu warned rather harshly that, besides Onik Gasparyan’s dismissal, Russia will view other dismissals within the prism of destruction of the army — something that is inadmissible for Russia since the Armenian Army is of strategic significance for Russia in this region and is the army of a member state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” as reported on the website.