Ratification of agreement on Gyumri military base to play key role, says Russian MP

The ratification of the agreement that extended Russia's lease of the military base in Gyumri, Armenia, will have a key role for the region, according to Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin.

"Armenia and Russia are allies in the frameworks of Collective Security Treaty Organization," he told today journalists in Yerevan, stressing the importance of prolonging the terms of the defense pact.

The Russian parliamentarian also expressed conviction that agreements need to be ratified by the two countries' parliaments simultaneously.

The document was signed earlier this year, during the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit in Armenia and is subject to ratification by both countries' parliaments.