Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the five-year program of the new government to the government for approval. We have separated the “Security and Foreign Policy” section, as it is written from this program, which overall consists of over 100 pages.
What does this government plan to do to ensure the security of our country? According to the government, the factors for the defense of the security of the Republic of Armenia are:
The modernized Armenian army.
The large-scale process of structural and substantive reforms of the Armed Forces of Armenia has started. In the strategic perspective, the Republic of Armenia will gradually make a transition to a professional army, and the structure of conscription and military service will change significantly. In the future, the protection of the parts of the state borders of Armenia, which are currently carried out by the Armenian Armed Forces, will be carried out by the border troops, and the army units will deal with the issues of combat readiness and increasing combat efficiency.
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The Armenian-Russian strategic alliance.
Based on the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, the Joint Grouping of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and the Joint Caucasian Regional Air Defense Agreement signed between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation according to which a joint regional system will be established, the opportunities of the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia will continue to be satisfied. Units of the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia have been deployed in the Goris and Sisian regions of Syunik province. Russian border guards will take part in the border protection of a number of sections of the Republic of Armenia’s international borders. The involvement of the Russian Federal Security Service troops in the defense of the Armenian border will expand.
The Republic of Armenia’s membership in the CSTO.
Armenia will continue to be actively involved in the works of the organization, and it will continue to work to improve and implement the contractual and documentation framework and collective security mechanisms that best reflect and serve the interests and common goals of the member states.
The establishment of a stable regional environment and the unblocking of regional infrastructure.
Regional peace and stability are our long-term strategies. Deepening or normalizing relations with neighboring countries will be one of the important directions of the government’s foreign policy. The deepening of hostility is a threat to the stability and security of the region. Overcoming hostility can be at the heart of a regional foreign policy agenda.
Unblocking should be one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy. At the same time, this process cannot take place at the expense of the security and vital interests of Armenia and Artsakh.
The government’s foreign policy efforts to unblock the region, if taken constructively by other actors, will lead to an atmosphere of peaceful and mutually beneficial coexistence in the region. From this point of view, the key is the full and unconditional implementation of the steps envisaged by the trilateral statements signed by the leaders of the Republic of Armenia, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021.
The government is convinced that the establishment and/or development of normal relations with neighboring countries is the key to lasting peace, stability, security, and economic development in the region. The demarcation and delimitation of the borders with the Republic of Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will be essential for the development of a stable regional environment.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
The role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, clarifying the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and ensuring regional stability and security is key, and Armenia will contribute to the effective functioning of this format. The full resumption of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing peace talks is an essential factor in ensuring regional stability and security.
Nelly Babayan
