India Armenia military cooperation on the upswing
Armenia has already bought military radars and other equipment from India. Russia has also granted Armenia a INR 1500 Crores loan to purchase Russian weapons and modernize its army.
Now Armenia is interested in India’s expertise in modernizing Soviet and Russian defence equipment and integrating them with Western systems. Armenia is exploring joint ventures, training, and military cooperation to enhance their defence capabilities as per Armenian media.
“India possesses several Soviet and Russian make defence equipment. It has successfully modernised Soviet and Russian era defence items. This is very impressive,” Col Zhiriayar Amirkhanian, assistant to chief of defence staff, Armenian ministry of defence, told ET here. “We in Armenia are in possession of several Soviet and Russian-designed equipment and we want to learn from India’s experience.”
India-Armenia political relations are marked by warmth and cordiality. The two countries have understanding and convergence of views on several issues of mutual interest.
The Indian community in Armenia is relatively small, with only a few hundred Indians residing in the country. Most of them are business people, entrepreneurs, or students. The community has been growing in recent years.
