NO ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN ARRANGEMENT OVER ENLARGEMENT OF RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA AVAILABLE YET

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian base in Armenia is a security element, stated Mher Shahgeldyan, the head of the Commission on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs of the Armenian Parliament, Deputy Chairman of Orinats Yerkir party that is part of the ruling coalition, reported Regnum news agency. At the same time the MP remarked that Armenia is interested in forming a regional security system in the future. He also considers important the signing of the Pact on Regional Stability, proposed by European structures. In his words Azerbaijan does not fully agree with that point of view, however the opportunity of forming a regional security system fitting international approaches is positively taken by the international community. "As a sovereign state Armenia expands cooperation with the NATO, EU, while the EU today speaks more of common foreign security policy," Mr. Shahgeldyan remarked. When commenting on the matter of redeployment of Russian arms in Georgia to Armenia, Mher Shahgeldyan said that he does not posses information that the arms have started coming in. At the same time he said there are no Armenian-Russian arrangements providing for expansion, enlargement of the base available. "At the current stage the state of affairs complies with the items of the bilateral agreement," Mher Shahgeldyan underscored. Touching upon the negative response of Azerbaijan over transfer of Russian military equipment to Georgia and Armenia, the Armenian MP remarked that one should have expected a response of the kind from Baku and that "there is political rhetoric, rather than security causes there."