Armenia-Russia relations shouldn’t have dark corners, says PM Nikol Pashinyan
The Armenia-Russia relations must not have any dark corners, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Echo of Moscow.
Pashinyan mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a lot franker than he could have imagined. “It was a very pleasant surprise for me that he [Putin] is a frank and honest man. In our relations I like that we speak about everything frankly and honestly. After my latest visit to Moscow I said that our relations with Russia must be without dark corners. This doesn’t mean that we will always agree in everything, this means that we will always be honest. It is the greatest friendship that two states, two peoples look into each other’s eyes and speak directly and honestly,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan mentioned that Armenia, being a CSTO member, aims at making its membership to the institution a lot more effective.
Asked whether or not he and Putin have discussed the arms supplies to Azerbaijan at the meeting, Pashinyan said indeed they did, but didn’t give any details.
Addressing the activities of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia, the PM emphasized that the base is an important part of Armenia’s security system. “The military base has clear duties. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have issues with the base’s activities, but the existence of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia complies with the national interests of Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
Speaking about the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia is working to extend its lifecycle. “Having nuclear energy is important for Armenia. We require to extend the lifecycle of the nuclear power plant by 2040, by trying to build a new nuclear power plant by then. We are hopeful that Russia will assist us in this matter, because, unfortunately, at this moment we don’t have sufficient financial resources to start the process on our own,” he said, adding that if Russia were to offer help, Armenia would cordially accept it. “We aren’t planning to shut down the nuclear power plant,” he said.
