Russian defense adviser 'urges for Armenia’s vigilance' as he comments upon US report

An adviser to the Russian minister of defense has shared his concerns over a recent report by RAND Corporation, a non-profit US research institution developing solutions to public policy challenges, recommending Armenia to be vigilant “in the face of potential challenges by the adversary”.

In comments to the TV channel Zvezda, Andrey Ilnitsky also elaborated on the methods of resistance with Russia, warning of the United States’ imminent role in the South Caucasus region. “They will inevitably be role-players in the Caucasus. They do admit that Russia maintains very firm positions in the South Caucasus, whereas the controversies in the south [i.e. – the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in the light of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] are far from being just a plaything. They say Azerbaijan will be inevitably heading towards the West,” he said, noting at the same that the United States has its “almost the biggest embassy in the world” in the Armenian capital.

“It is not coincidental in many respects. The focus here is not just on Armenia but rather - the entire region. Anyway, both our Armenian and Azerbaijani friends need to be vigilant as the enemy never sleeps [permanently],” he added.

The authors of the US report call for "maximum strong efforts" towards ruling out Russia from all the international organizations "apart from the UN”.