Armenia is interested in Indian arms, DNA India reported.

During the recent visit of the Armenian military delegation to India, a list of arms Armenia is interested in purchasing was presented. While little is known about its contents, it was confirmed that drones featured prominently on the list. But not only drones, the official confirmed, without going into details, according to the newspaper.

It is noted that this is not the first time Armenia has shown interest in Indian military equipment. In 2020, the country signed a $40 million deal with India for the supply of four SWATHI radars for weapons location detection.

Since then, Armenia's defense needs have grown exponentially. "The war in Karabakh has forced us to rethink our defense needs," said an Armenian official who wished to remain unnamed.

India sees Armenia not only as a friend, but also as a good counterweight to Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been particularly belligerent on the Kashmir issue, and so is Azerbaijan, which is closely tied to Turkey and Pakistan.

Together with defense, trade and investment, Armenia could become a strategically important partner for India, where the latter could establish bases and a commercial and defense center for co-production and Indian exports beyond its borders. Being in Russia's sphere of influence is an additional advantage for India. Any Indian bases should not irritate Russia, even though they offer an alternative to Armenia and are ahead of China's expanding presence, the paper writes.