Pashinyan stated that there is no need for a Russian military base.

If Russia decides to withdraw the 102nd military base, Armenia will not object, as its presence is not vital, said Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on Vladimir Putin's words that Russia is ready to leave the Armenian Gyumri if Yerevan believes that the Russian military base there is unnecessary.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", Russian President Vladimir Putin, during negotiations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan, called on the Armenian Prime Minister to determine as soon as possible the issue of Armenia's accession to the EU. Pashinyan responded that the right moment for this has not yet arrived.

Pashinyan and Putin exchanged remarks about the fate of the military base in Gyumri

Armenia will not object if Russia decides to withdraw the 102nd military base from the territory of the republic, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a briefing today.

At the same time, he emphasized that Yerevan did not raise the issue of withdrawing the base, reports Armenia Today.

The issue of the 102nd base was not discussed during the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek. "We do not consider the presence of the 102nd military base on the territory of Armenia to be vital," said the Prime Minister.

According to Pashinyan, if the Russian side expresses a desire to maintain the presence of the military base in Armenia, Yerevan is ready to discuss this.

"If Russia decides to withdraw the military base from the Republic of Armenia, we will not object, but if there is a desire to stay, we are ready to discuss that as well," he stated.

Speaking generally about the meeting with Putin, the Prime Minister described the atmosphere of the negotiations as positive and constructive. According to him, the parties agreed to conduct a kind of "inventory" of Armenian-Russian relations to determine the issues on which the positions of the two countries coincide or diverge. Pashinyan also reported an agreement on his visit to Moscow in the near future.

The day before, at the SCO summit in Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is ready to leave the Armenian Gyumri if Yerevan believes that the Russian military base there is unnecessary.

"If Armenia believes that the Russian base in Armenia is unnecessary, we will leave even tomorrow. But is Armenia ready for this? Please. We will not impose anything on anyone,"" Kommersant quotes him.

However, Moscow is ready to continue cooperation if "the Armenian people want some Russian military presence there," added Putin.

The base plays an important role in the economy of Gyumri

The 102nd military base of the Southern Military District in Gyumri is part of the group of Russian troops in the Caucasus. The term of the agreement with Armenia on the placement of the base was extended in August 2010 until 2044, according to a report by the "Caucasian Knot" about the 102nd Russian military base.

It should be noted that during the election campaign for the parliamentary elections held in June, Pashinyan indirectly touched upon the fate of the military base. Thus, speaking at a rally in Gyumri on May 25, he promised to take the second city of the country and issues of its development "under his control." Some residents expressed concerns about the fate of the city in the event of the withdrawal of the Russian base: for example, Karapet Manukyan believes that Pashinyan is "conducting the wrong policy against Russia." "I have a shop next to the Russian base, my main clients are Russian servicemen. If he becomes Prime Minister again, the future of the base will be in great doubt. Maybe the Europeans will force Pashinyan to demand the withdrawal of the base. This is a direct blow to the business of many residents of Gyumri; we are very dependent on them here," the man stated.

Moreover, human rights defenders stated that employees of the base who have Armenian citizenship were pressured: "they were forced to vote for a certain political party, threatening them with dismissal," and these demands also extended to their relatives.

It should be noted that the military base plays an important economic role for local residents. "I cannot say that without the base the city will be left with nothing, but hundreds of jobs will be closed, definitely, dozens of businesses oriented towards the base will also close, hundreds of businesses will lose part of their clients, and that is a very solvent part," said local journalist Shushan Margaryan earlier to the "Caucasian Knot."