The United Military Group (UMG) of the Armenian and Russian Armed Forces was formed long ago: since 2000, we have celebrated the anniversary of its formation in the region on September 27. 

Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan said the aforementioned in an interview with Izvestiya, referring to the plans of signing an Agreement on Establishing United Military Group of the Russian and Armenian Armed Forces and Friendship with Russia.

In his words, the agreement on issues of joint planning on applying troops (forces) in the interests of ensuring joint security—signed in Sochi 16 years ago—served as a basis for the new agreement. This document stipulated creation of a group, which was done in accordance with the joint directives of the Armenian and Russian General Staffs.

“As to the signing of an agreement on UMG of Armenia and Russia, it will actually ensure the normative and legal enshrinement of the group’s activity at an intergovernmental document level. Besides, the agreement confirms the provision on UMG, in which an entire scope of issues regulating its assignment—objectives, tasks, staff, organization of cooperation and management system, material, technical and financial insurance, order of expansion and many other­ things—were corrected, considering the existing reality,” Sargsyan said.

He also noted that the main task of the UMG is to timely reveal the direct preparation of a military attack (aggression) against Armenia and Russia and its reflection in the cooperation of Armenian and Russian armed forces, as well as other troops, military formations and bodies.

“Considering the territorial disunity of the sides and the volume of the operative and strategic tasks decided, it is especially important for Armenian that the group is dislocated in the territory of our state,” the Minister aid.