Papikyan and Shoigu Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Issues

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held talks today with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who is on a working visit in Russia, within the framework of the Moscow Forum on International Security.

According to RIA Novosti, during the meeting, issues related to the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh were discussed.

“We have a lot to discuss; there are traditional issues concerning our military-technical and military cooperation. And, of course, the issues related to the operations of our peacekeeping forces stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh. We are as confident as you are that the main stabilizing factor is the maintenance of the ceasefire regime along the entire contact line,” the head of the Russian military department stated during the talks.

Shoigu also thanked his Armenian counterpart for participating in the “Army International Games” and the opening of the “Army-2022” International Military-Technical Forum, as well as for his work at the Moscow International Security Conference.

For his part, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan noted that today’s meeting is the second one held this year, which demonstrates the high level of Armenian-Russian bilateral cooperation.

“This meeting is very important for us. We highly appreciate the level of Armenian-Russian cooperation achieved, as well as the Russian presence in the South Caucasus,” said the Armenian Defense Minister.