If Russia promises it will ensure the security of Armenia's borders, then the sale of Russian C-300 anti-missile defense complexes to Azerbaijan might well be considered not as much alarming as it is, head of Mitq analytical center Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said at a press conference today.

"Should Russia assume [the responsibility] of defending Armenia's borders, then strategically the sale of C-300 to Azerbaijan can be considered not alarming for Armenia that much," said he, referring to Moscow's recent move to extend the duration of the contracts of the Russian military bases in Armenia.

According to him, it does not matter what kind of weapons Russia sells to the countries in the region as by arming both sides - in this case Armenia and Azerbaijan - with various weapons, it seems to make it possible to keep any potential conflict under control.

"If one party has defensive measures, while the other has offensive ones, it is highly probable that Russia, which is arming in fact both parties, may greatly help or harm the conflicting parties with a shift in its stance," explained Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan, adding that by extending the duration of that contract Russia simply wanted to show it has long-term interests in Armenia.

Asked whom Russia would defend should a war be unleashed in Karabakh, Melik-Shahnazaryan said: "Something I know for sure: Russia will not meet its obligations stipulated by the CSTO agreement and Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Armenia. That is to say, Russian troops deployed in Armenia will not interfere in the war from Armenia's side, and there will be one explanation - the war isn't against Armenia but rather between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan."
 

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