ArmInfo.The Russian military contingent is performing three major tasks in the South Caucasus: ensuring Armenia's security in Turkey's direction, carrying out a peacekeeping mission in Artsakh and, now, ensuring the security along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, independent analyst Saro Saroyan said in an interview with ArmInfo.
"I mean the earth works, presence of building machinery, visits of Russian military personnel to Berd. The local residents report problems involving the territorial jurisdiction. So the issue of construction of a Russian military base in Berd has remained unsettled for over a month. However, the very intention to construct a base there is evidence of the current situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," he said.
The Zhoghovurd (People) newspaper earlier reported that Armenia's government approved a decision on deployment of one more Russian military base in Armenia's north-west, in Berd, Tavush province. Planned redeployment of Russian troops was reported as well. However, a high-ranking official of Armenia's security services stated recently that the rumors were unfounded.
According to Mr Saroyan, the situation can be understood in the context of geographical location of the prospective Russian military base – exactly along the midline of the Armenian-Azerbaijani and Georgian- Iranian borders. Thus, it is Berd that s the most convenient location for guarding the trunk line and deploying Russian frontier posts both along the northern and southern sections of the border.
"Russia needed that to accomplish its own political and geopolitical tasks – under the pretext of ensuring Armenia's security. Russian troops' presence along the border with Azerbaijan is Moscow's trump card in its future relations – or rather, bargaining – with Ankara, which will henceforth be capable of influencing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border only by means of agreements with Russia. This situation is the result of the fallacious Armenian political thought that Armenia is allegedly sacrificing its independent decisions to security. In fact, however, Armenia, after losing part of its sovereignty, is receiving new threats," Mr Saroyan said.