The Republic of Armenia Ministry of Defense (RA MOD) issued a statement referring to the RA-Russian Federation (RF) agreement on setting up a joint regional air defense (AD) system in the Collective Security Caucasus Region, News.am reports.
Armenia MOD: Air defense agreement with Russia does not apply to Karabakh
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 9, ARTSAKHPRESS: “This is a joint, and not a unified, system; that is, the RA AF [i.e. Armed Forces] air defense troops retain their independence.
“The RA AF AD troops can independently cooperate with any other AD systems.
“The system is designed to operate solely during a direct threat of aggression and war.
“The agreement enables to use the RF AF aerospace troops’ capabilities, including the use of nuclear weapons.
“Pursuant to Article 1 of the agreement, the ‘Separate Collective Security Region’ concept is defined as a part of the territory and the region within the airspace boundaries of the Republic of Armenia. For that reason, the said agreement does not apply to the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, therefore it does not affect cooperation between the RA and NKR Ministries of Defense,” the Armenia MOD statement specifically reads.
