Today, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia hosted a solemn reception ahead of Defender of the Fatherland Day (February 23), reports Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The event gathered representatives of several diplomatic mission accredited to Armenia and the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MPs, government officials, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the non-parliamentary opposition and veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
In his solemn speech, Envoy-Advisor of the Russian Embassy in Armenia Alexey Sinegubov particularly stated that on Defender of the Fatherland Day, everyone honors the servicemen, civilians and veterans of the Armed Forces who dedicated their lives to homeland defense. He added that, alongside care for its own heroic history, Russia has also made it through the centuries with fraternal ties that link the country to other states, and first and foremost the republics of the former USSR.
He reminded that the military cooperation with Armenia is one of the key elements of the Russian-Armenian relations. “The existence of the Russian 102nd Military Base and the joint protection of the Armenian borders by the border guard services of Russia and Armenia not only serve as the guarantee for security of Armenia and the Armenian people, but also further strengthen the relations between our countries,” he said.
Sinegubov also reminded that it is planned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War this year and that both Russia and Armenia remember the price that was paid for that Victory.