Azernews.Az

YERAVAN – Armenia concluded a deal with Russia extending Moscow's lease on a military base on its soil as it is in a difficult situation, a British expert has said.

Thomas de Waal, a senior associate on the Caucasus at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the author of the "Black Garden" book on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, was commenting on last week’s defense pact in an interview with Armenia’s Azatutyun (Liberty) radio station.

Regarding the Karabakh conflict, the analyst said its settlement is deadlocked.

"Azerbaijan is raising uproar on the matter," de Waal maintained. "Russia therefore took advantage of the situation and imposed the agreement on Armenia. Armenia had to agree to cheap security because of the country's lack of money, economic predicament and absence of funds needed to purchase ammunition."

The Armenian and Russian presidents last Friday signed a protocol extending the term of the Russian military base in the Armenian town of Gyumri until 2044, though Moscow was previously set to withdraw in 2020. The protocol also commits Russia to updating Armenia's military hardware and ensuring its security.

De Waal went on to say that Russia has economic interests in the region.

"The Russian share in the Armenian economy is a crucial issue. Overall, Russia has lost Georgia, which maintains serious and real political relations with Azerbaijan.

"Armenia has a number of allies as well. Yerevan participates in NATO programs and is on good terms with the United States and the European Union. In a nutshell, it has a plethora of allies in the foreign policy realm and has no intention to cede everything to Russia."