The Russian Ministry of Defense is ready to support the modernization and reformation of the Armenian Armed Forces. This is what Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu said as he greeted Minister of Defense of Armenia Arshak Karapetyan in Moscow, TASS reports.

“We attach importance to the development of our military cooperation in the bilateral format and within the scope of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Moreover, we are ready to continue to support implementation of the plan for reforms in the Armed Forces of Armenia,” Shoygu told Karapetyan, adding that the Russian 102nd Military Base, which is located in Armenia, is well-equipped and serves as a guarantee for security.

“Armenia is Russia’s ally and key partner for ensuring security in the South Caucasus, and we are extremely interested in the maintenance of stability in this region,” he said.

Shoygu congratulated Karapetyan on being appointed defense minister. In his turn, Karapetyan expressed gratitude to Shoygu for his willingness to assist in restoring the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of Armenia. Karapetyan also emphasized that his first visit to a foreign country as defense minister is the visit to Russia, which is Armenia’s strategic ally.

“Russia is the only country that is showing truly tangible results of security for the Armenian people and is currently dealing with security issues in not only Nagorno-Karabakh, but also on the borders of Armenia,” Karapetyan said.