Asymmetric relations between Russia and Armenia

The head of the regional research centre in Yerevan, Richard Kirakosian, stated on September 19 that Russia and Armenia have asymmetric relations. According to him, Russia is paying millions of dollars to Kyrgyzstan to maintain a Russian military base there and to Azerbaijan to maintain the Gabal radio location system there, whereas Armenia pays itself for the maintenance for the Russian military base in Gyumri in Armenia. According to Kirakosian, Armenia is the only reliable partner for Russia in the region, but does not get adequate benefits in return. According to Kirakosian, the fact that Armenia’s borders are controlled by another country proves that its independence is not on an appropriate level. In should be mentioned here that official Yerevan politicians, militaries and ordinary people, consider the Russian military base to be one of the major guarantees of the safety of the country.Just some years ago the terms of the presence of the Russian military base in Armenia were prolonged for up to forty nine years.