India and Armenia discuss enhancing bilateral air power ties
New Delhi, April 28
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal, A P Singh held a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Lt Gen Edvard Asryan in New Delhi on Tuesday, with discussions focused on enhancing operational cooperation, interoperability and strengthening bilateral air power ties.
"Lt Gen Edvard Asryan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia on an official visit to India, called on Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force. Discussions focused on enhancing operational cooperation, interoperability and strengthening bilateral air power ties," Indian Air Force - Media Co-ordination Centre posted on X.
Earlier in the day, Lt General Edvard Asryan held a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan and discussed ways to have joint ventures in the development of military hardware.
"General Anil Chauhan CDS held discussions with Lt General Edvard Asryan, Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, during his official visit to India. The General officer was received by the CDS and was accorded a Guard of Honour," Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff posted on X.
"The engagement reflected the steady advancement of India-Armenia Defence Relations. Both sides also explored avenues for joint ventures in the development of military hardware, reaffirming their shared commitment to a robust, future-oriented and mutually beneficial strategic partnership," it added.
In February, an Indian defence delegation led by CDS General Anil Chauhan visited Armenia on a four-day visit during which it called on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and held talks on emerging opportunities for collaboration and avenues to further strengthen defence and strategic cooperation.
Following the meeting, Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff in a statement on X wrote, "General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff CDS, accompanied by the Indian Delegation, interacted with His Excellency Mr Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, exchanging views on the evolving Geopolitical Landscape and prevailing Security Environment. The discussions also highlighted emerging opportunities for collaboration and avenues to further strengthen Bilateral Defence and Strategic Cooperation."
General Anil Chauhan, accompanied by the Indian delegation, also met Armenia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Abisoghomonyan. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged perspectives on the security environment and bilateral issues.
"General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff CDS, accompanied by the Indian Delegation, interacted with His Excellency Mr Robert Abisoghomonyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Armenia, exchanging perspectives on the security environment and bilateral issues," the Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff posted on X.
General Anil Chauhan-led delegation and Armenia's Defence Minister Suren Papkyan also held discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation across various security issues related to the two nations.
Following the meeting, the Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff in a statement shared on X wrote, "General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, led the Indian Delegation for an office call on with Suren Papkyan, Minister of Defence, The Republic of Armenia. Discussions focused on strengthening Defence Cooperation across a range of security issues concerning both the nations."
General Chauhan also addressed faculty and students at the National Defence Research University (NDRU) and spoke about the global security environment, structural transformation and emergence of technology.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, India is moving beyond just rhetoric and actually building meaningful defence relationships. Armenia needs reliable partners, and we have the tech and training to offer. Hope these talks translate into concrete deals for our indigenous systems like Tejas and Akash. Jai Hind!
Interesting development. India is smart to diversify its defence partnerships beyond Russia. Armenia is a traditional Russian ally, so this shows New Delhi's growing confidence. Let's hope both sides can align on interoperability standards and training exercises.
As someone who follows defence news, I'm cautiously optimistic. Our CDS visited Armenia in February and now their top brass is here—that's real momentum. But we need to ensure our hardware meets their operational needs, especially given their security challenges. Also, hope our private sector gets a slice of any joint ventures.
Great to see India playing a larger role in the region. Armenia is landlocked and has tense relations with neighbours, so they value reliable defence partners. Our focus on interoperability and joint ventures shows we're thinking long-term. Hope the media covers the outcomes of these meetings more extensively.
While this is good news, I hope we are not overstretching our resources. India has its own border challenges, and we should prioritise modernising our own forces. But if we can export or co-develop with Armenia without compromising our needs, it's a win-win. Just be careful with budget allocations.
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