Mikhail Kalugin: The ruling elite in Yerevan often expects the most important decisions to be made by external players

ArmInfo. Armenia wants to shift responsibility for the future of the Gyumri base to Russia. This was stated by Mikhail Kalugin, Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, RIA Novosti reports.

"Attempts to shift responsibility for the possible withdrawal of the base to Moscow are consistent with a curious feature of current Armenian political thinking. The ruling elite in Yerevan often expects the most important decisions to be made by external players," he said in an interview with the agency.

The diplomat cited examples: the Armenian leadership states that in order to hold a referendum on the choice between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union, it is first necessary to secure a positive response from Brussels. Regarding the CSTO, there are comments that excluding Armenia would relieve the government of the dilemma of whether to leave or stay. At the same time, Moscow is ready to discuss all issues related to the Gyumri base. The dialogue will be based on agreements regulating the presence of the Russian contingent, Kalugin emphasized.

He also noted that if such a conversation takes place, it will also address materials circulating in some Armenian media outlets, which aim to discredit the Russian presence, presenting it as almost an "element of occupation."

"We hope that the authors of such stories and articles realize that there is no real serious alternative," the department director said.

At the same time, judging by the results of recent sociological studies, the Armenian population understands this perfectly well, Kalugin added.

"A confident majority of citizens of the republic support the continued presence of the Russian military base in Armenia, which over all these years has become a magnet for many citizens." "At the very least, this is evident from the interest they show in the regularly held open days," the diplomat concluded.

The agency recalled that in early September, President Vladimir Putin stated that if Yerevan deemed the base in Gyumri unnecessary, the Russian side would leave immediately and would not impose anything. As the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized at the time, this military facility is a key element in ensuring the security of both Armenia itself and the South Caucasus as a whole. It is stationed there under a 1995 interstate agreement. In 2010, the document was amended: the base's tenure was extended from the original 25 years to 2044.