The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to start consultations in order to determine the type and volume of assistance that Russia could provide to Armenia to ensure its security
MOSCOW, October 31.
/TASS/. Moscow will provide all necessary assistance to Yerevan in accordance
with the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the
two countries, if hostilities spill over to Armenia’s territory, the Russian
Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
It noted that
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin
to start consultations in order to determine the type and volume of assistance
that Russia could provide to Armenia to ensure its security. "We confirm
the Russian Federation’s commitment to its allied obligations towards the
Republic of Armenia, including those arising from the Treaty of Friendship,
Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Russian Federation and the
Republic of Armenia of August 29, 1997," the ministry said.
The Russian Foreign
Ministry added that some articles of that treaty presupposed specific actions
in the event of a threat of an armed attack or an act of aggression against
each other’s territory. "In accordance with the treaty, Russia will
provide all necessary assistance to Yerevan, if fighting spills over to the territory
of Armenia," it stressed.
"We once again
call on the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to agree on an immediate
ceasefire, the de-escalation of tensions and a return to substantive
negotiations in order to achieve a peaceful settlement based on the underlying
principles in line with the agreements reached by the foreign ministers of the
Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia in
Moscow on October 10," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
Renewed clashes between
Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in
the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both parties to the conflict have
reported casualties, among them civilians.
Baku and Yerevan have
disputed sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988, when the region
declared secession from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic. In the armed
conflict of 1992-1994 Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven
adjoining districts.
Source: ITAR-TASS
31-10-2020
