A senior Armenian lawmaker expressed confidence on Monday that Western powers will not rebuke Armenia for deploying military personnel to Syria with Russia’s support.
The Armenian Defense Ministry sent 83 medics, demining experts and other military personnel to the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday. It said they will help civilians and clear landmines left behind from the continuing bloody conflict in the Arab state.
The ministry attributed the deployment to “the severe humanitarian situation” in Aleppo, “written requests from the Syrian side,” and the existence of an Armenian community in Syria.
Andranik Kocharian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on defense and security, said that the thousands of ethnic Armenians in the war-ravaged city will now “feel safer.”
“Our Western partners will definitely understand this [deployment] because we are talking first and foremost about our [ethnic Armenian] compatriots living in Syria,” Kocharian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Armenia’s plans to send military personnel to Syria were first announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in September following his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin held in Moscow.
John Bolton, the U.S. national security adviser, discussed the issue with Pashinian and Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan when he visited Yerevan in October. Bolton warned them against sending combat troops to aid Syrian government forces or their allies.
The United States and the European Union have been very critical of the Russian military intervention in Syria which helped President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime gain the upper hand in the brutal civil war.
The Armenian deployment came as Tonoyan held talks in Moscow with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.The latter thanked Yerevan for its “humanitarian assistance” to Syria.
Armenia - Andranik Kocharian, the chairman of the parliament committee on defense and security, January 30, 2019.
Kocharian claimed that the Armenian government itself initiated the dispatch of the sappers, medics and other servicemen tasked with protecting them. Russia is “naturally very happy” with their deployment, he said.
Meanwhile, a senior opposition lawmaker denounced the government for sending the contingent to Syria without consulting with the Armenian parliament.
“The authorities constantly talk about a transparent work style and increasing [the government’s] accountability. This action runs counter to that,” said Gevorg Gorgisian of the Bright Armenia Party (LHK).
“Maybe [the deployment] was necessary,” said Gorgisian. “But they should have talked about that. The National Assembly should have known why they are doing that.”
Gorgisian also warned of the move’s possible negative “consequences” for Armenia’s relations with the U.S. and the EU.