Armenian official: Yerevan did not raise issue of Russia’s military base

Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan said Yerevan did not raise the issue of Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Armenia, describing recent remarks on the matter as coming from the Russian side.

“We didn’t say a word about the 102nd Military Base. That was a statement from the Russian side,” Simonyan told reporters, Armenian media reports.

He said he did not understand why the issue had been raised and referred to comments previously made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“As the prime minister said, if they want to stay, let them stay; if they don’t want to, let them leave,” Simonyan said, adding that Armenia would present its position if the issue comes up during negotiations.