“I do not see a threat to the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia from Turkey. Starting from [the initialing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord on] August 8, 2025, I do not see any such threat whatsoever,” Alen Simonian told reporters, commenting on the future of Russian military presence in the country.
The Russian military base headquartered in Gyumri is facing an uncertain future amid a continuing deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly raised the possibility of its closure right after his September 1 talks with Pashinian. He said Moscow is ready to do that “even tomorrow” if asked by the Armenian government.
Pashinian responded by saying that he “will not object” if Russia decides to withdraw its troops. He repeated on September 17 that their presence is not of “vital importance” to his country.
Simonian echoed Pashinian’s remarks. But he declined to say why Yerevan is not demanding the withdrawal of the Russian troops. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that Moscow will stick to a 2010 Russian-Armenian agreement that extended Russia’s basing rights by 25 years, until 2044.
Pashinian and his political allies argue that the Russian troops failed to intervene when Azerbaijan invaded Armenian border areas in 2021 and 2022. Armenian opposition leaders counter that the Russian base is first and foremost a deterrent against a perceived threat emanating from Turkey, Azerbaijan’s closest ally. They have expressed serious concern over its possible closure.
Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire leading the main opposition Strong Armenia alliance, told 24news.am on Thursday that such a scenario would leave the South Caucasus nation defenseless against its biggest and most powerful traditional foe. Karapetian described the Russian military presence as a major “component of our national security system.”
Other opposition leaders have claimed that Pashinian’s stance on the issue is further proof that he is putting Armenia’ very existence at the mercy of Turkey and Azerbaijan.