Zero Hedge: Armenia Stands "Ready" To Trigger Defense Pact With Russia As Azerbaijan Fighting Intensifies
Armenia could trigger its collective defense pact with Russia, the latter which also has a sprawling military base at Gyumri in the northwest part of the country, but on Monday the Armenian Ambassador to Moscow, Vardan Toganyan, has said the escalation of fighting with Azerbaijan has not reached that point yet.
Russia's TASS, however, has underscored that this remains a distinct possibility at a moment Armenia has reported at least 31 of its troops killed in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh border region, which it says its forces are protecting from Azerbaijan's shelling and aggression:
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Update: Armenia ready to request military assistance from Russia, ambassador says (TASS)
WNU Editor: The Kremlin sees Azerbaijan as the aggressor in this new war. Russia also has a huge military base in Armenia. If the conflict widens and spreads I can easily Armenia invoking its defense pact with Russia, and I have no doubts that Russia will respect that agreement and intervene. But before that happens, I am sure Moscow will issue a warning to Azerbaijan to cease all military operations, and my money is on Baku saying yes. If not ... Russia will intervene. The next question will then be .... will Turkey intervene on the side of Azerbaijan?