YEREVAN, October 4. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in in an interview with Germany’s Bild he believes Russia will fulfill its commitments and will use its troops to ensure Armenia’s security if necessary, Armenpress agency said on Sunday.
"Russia has the 102nd base in Armenia and we have a joint missile defense system. Our treaties clearly define when and why these troops can be used to ensure security, including Armenia’s. I am sure if such a necessity stemming from commitments under these treaties emerges, Russia will fulfill them under certain circumstance," Pashinyan said.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.