Pashinyan stated that Armenia will not object to the withdrawal of the Russian military base
Yerevan is prepared to discuss both the continued presence of Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Gyumri and the possibility of its withdrawal. At the same time, this issue has not yet been raised during negotiations with the Russian side. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement on September 3 following a cabinet meeting, commenting on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place on September 1 in Bishkek.
“As I see it, neither I nor the Russian president said anything new. The working atmosphere was positive; I will visit Moscow in the near future, where we will hold discussions. We have also reached certain working agreements,” Pashinyan said.
According to Pashinyan, during the meeting in Bishkek, the parties agreed to conduct a sort of “stock-taking” of the entire spectrum of Armenian-Russian relations in order to assess their current state in detail and identify the issues on which the countries’ positions coincide or differ.
“The idea arose that we should conduct an inventory of Armenian-Russian relations to understand what this means in practice—that is, which areas fall under this umbrella, on which issues we share the same vision, and on which we hold different positions; on which issues we have a positive outlook, and on which we have a mixed view,” he told reporters at a briefing.
The Armenian prime minister also announced that he expects the head of the Russian state corporation “Rosatom,” Alexei Likhachev, to visit in September. The parties are set to discuss the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant in Armenia.
“In September, we are expecting ‘Rosatom’ head Alexei Likhachev to present proposals that Russia can make to Armenia regarding the construction of a new nuclear power plant. I have said before that the issue of building a nuclear power plant is not a matter of geopolitical choice for us; we need the best value for money. We will go with whoever makes us the best offer,” he noted.
Pashinyan also emphasized that the continued presence of the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri was not discussed during his talks with Putin.
“There were no discussions regarding the military base. We have never raised this issue during this period. And it cannot be said that we consider the presence of the 102nd military base on Armenian territory to be a vital necessity,” Pashinyan said.
At the same time, he noted that Yerevan would not oppose a possible decision by Moscow to leave Armenia and withdraw its military base. If, however, Russia wishes to continue its presence, Armenia is also ready to discuss this issue.
“If Russia decides to withdraw the base from Armenia, we will not object. If they express a desire to stay, we are ready to discuss that as well. But we have never raised this issue,” Pashinyan added.
As a reminder, on September 1, Vladimir Putin, responding to questions from journalists, also commented on the future of the Russian military base in Armenia.
“Nikol Vovayevich proposed conducting a thorough analysis of our joint work in each area. I agree with this. I invited him to Moscow so that, without rushing, the two of us—along with his experts and our government specialists—could sit down and go over every point.
There are also specific issues. The railroad, for example. Roughly speaking, we’re leasing it. The question is its development. All right. But investment in such infrastructure depends on the volume of freight: if there’s volume, there will be investment—both ours and others’; if there’s no volume, there will be no investment, and no development. God willing, once the situation involving all the hostilities—the war—comes to an end, perhaps things will take a different turn: the border with Turkey will open, as will borders in other directions, and perhaps a flow of cargo will emerge. But if that happens, then anyone can make those investments—including Russia. You see, the question is whether the economic project “works” or not. But ultimately, that is a sovereign decision for each country.
This is particularly true—and even more so—when it comes to the base. If Armenia believes it does not need a Russian military base, we’ll leave tomorrow if necessary. Is Armenia ready for this? Please rest assured, we will not impose anything on anyone. But if the Armenian people want some kind of “Russian military presence” nearby, we will stay, we will work, and we will cooperate.”
This is reported by Russian propaganda media.
Pashinyan publicly disagreed with Putin regarding Armenia’s future in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
In Armenia’s new government program for 2026–2031, Russia is no longer referred to as a strategic ally.
