Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the country’s strategy toward relations with Russia remains unchanged.
“Our strategy remains the same. We will work calmly, patiently and without tension with our Russian partners, and we will resolve all issues,” Pashinyan told reporters, according to Aysor.am .
He was responding to a question about statements from Moscow suggesting Russia could suspend gas supply agreements with Armenia if Yerevan continues the process of joining the European Union.
Pashinyan stated that Armenia’s future policy would ensure the country is never left without alternatives in any major area, Radar Armenia reports.
“Our strategy is that from now on Armenia will never again remain without alternatives on any issue. There will be no area where Armenia does not have an alternative,” the prime minister said.
He added that the military parade held in Yerevan demonstrated this approach in practice.
“Today’s parade-report was also proof of that, because equipment produced by seven different countries was displayed. This means we will diversify our relations,” Pashinyan noted.
Yerevan hosted a military parade dedicated to the Day of the First Republic of Armenia, held for the first time in the past decade. The parade featured weapons and military equipment acquired from Russia, India, France, Iran, China and other countries. Most of the systems were displayed publicly for the first time, including TOS-1 heavy flamethrower systems, Russian-made Pole-21 electronic warfare systems, as well as Indian-made Pinaka rocket systems, ATAGS towed howitzers, MArG artillery systems, Akash missile systems and anti-tank weapons.
The previous military parade in the Armenian capital was held on September 21, 2016, marking the 25th anniversary of independence.
