Russian-Armenian air defense system not applied to Nagorno-Karabakh - Federation Council intl affairs committee head
MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian-Armenian regional air defense system will cover only Armenia's territory and airspace and will not apply to Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said.
"The agreement gives a clear answer to this question: the agreement's effect is applied to Armenia's territory and airspace," Pankov said at a meeting of the Russian Federation Council international affairs committee on Wednesday, after its head, Konstantin Kosachyov, asked what would happen if tensions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh rise again.
"Will this system not be used in this context in principle or are there any options?" Kosachyov said.
Having heard Pankov's answer, Kosachyov summarized that, since Nagorno-Karabakh is not part of Armenia, the regional air defense system would not be applied in any event.
The Federation Council's international affairs committee on Wednesday approved the ratification of a Russian-Armenian agreement on setting up a joint regional air defense system in the Caucasus collective security region. The agreement was earlier ratified by the State Duma.
The agreement was signed in Moscow on December 23, 2015.