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Was Airport in Stepanakert Built For Russian Armed Forces?

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  • Was Airport in Stepanakert Built For Russian Armed Forces?

    Was Airport in Stepanakert Built For Russian Armed Forces?

    Naira Hayrumyan
    12:09 19/01/2013
    Story from Lragir.am News:
    http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/country/view/28671

    The international observers cautiously advise the Armenian side to
    refrain from tensions and not to launch flights from Stepanakert. The
    prime minister of NKR says flights will be resumed soon. The Armenian
    defense minister says the Armenian air force will guarantee security
    of flights between Yerevan and Stepanakert. The Azerbaijani mass media
    report the Azerbaijani air force flies above the regions of Aghdam and
    Tartar located at the front line.

    The operation of the airport of Stepanakert is a purely civilian
    activity and it is an anti-human step to hinder this activity.
    Obviously, however, the powers which would like to deploy troops in
    the conflict area are trying to benefit from the possible provocation.

    First of all, it is Russia which is likely to involve Karabakh within
    the scope of the Armenian-Russian military cooperation. Apparently,
    the new agreement of military cooperation between Russia and Armenia
    supposes this.

    During the meeting with reporters on January 18 the minister of
    defense Seiran Ohanyan said a new phase of Armenian-Russian military
    and technical cooperation will start. He noted that the issue is the
    distribution of the arsenal of the Russian military base all over
    Armenia instead of its current concentration Gyumri.

    The ruling party in Azerbaijan is hopeful that the Russian-Armenian
    cooperation is not aimed against Azerbaijan. The party's executive
    secretary Ali Mahmedov said, `With his latest orders Vladimir Putin
    wishes to put the Russian-Armenian strategic military cooperation on
    the agenda in the geopolitical context.' He noted that the citizens of
    Azerbaijan worry that Russia will link the military cooperation with
    Armenia with the role of peacemaker in Karabakh, Rosbalt Agency
    informs.

    At the same time, the head of the Russian Center of Strategic and
    Technical Analysis Ruslan Pukhov told the Nezavisimaya Gazeta it was
    strange that Armenia was our ally but we supplied weapon to Armenia.
    We hope this mistake will be corrected by means of this agreement, he
    said. Pukhov said Azerbaijan does not always observe friendly
    relations with Russia.

    Azerbaijan has refused to continue the lease of Gabbala on reasonable
    conditions, and Russia has to look for alternatives.

    Seiran Ohanyan does not mind location of a Russian military base in
    Armenia. `We have followed the whole process and seen that failure to
    reach an agreement in negotiations the use of Gabbala was suspended,'
    the minister said. `If our approval or refusal is concerned, we are
    not against allocation of the radio station here,' Ohanyan said.

    Russia needs an opportunity to deploy troops in Karabakh, and the
    first flight Stepanakert-Yerevan could be one.

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