There was no discussion about removing the Russian military base from Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during the press briefing after Thursday’s Cabinet session of the Armenian government—and referring to his meeting with Russian President Putin, which took place Tuesday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and the statements that followed.

“We have never raised the issue of the Russian 102nd Military Base located in Armenia during this time, and it is not that we [i.e. Armenia] consider the presence of the 102nd Military Base on the territory of Armenia to be a vital necessity. If Russia decides to remove the military base from the Republic of Armenia, we will not object. But if they express a desire to stay, we are ready to discuss that, too; but we have never raised that issue during this time,” Pashinyan said.