Armenian authorities are urging Russia to protect its sovereign territory from attacks by Azerbaijani forces, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said on television on Tuesday.
“As there has been an attack on the sovereign territory of Armenia, under the 1997 treaty we are addressing Russia with a call to protect the territorial integrity of Armenia. A written request is being prepared,” he said. Gregorian hopes that Russia will provide adequate military assistance if negotiations with Azerbaijan fail.
In November, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the border areas of the Syunik region of Armenia deteriorated sharply. Both countries say there have been armed incidents, some resulting in casualties. On November 13, Yerevan and Baku blamed each other for bombing military positions in their areas.
The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and Armenia was signed on 29 August 1997 for an initial period of 25 years. This period is automatically extended by ten years until either party requests its expiration.
The first presidents of the two countries, Boris Yeltsin and Levon Ter-Petrosyan, signed the treaty.
tass.com
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