In an interview with the paper,Vladimir Yevseyev, a deputy director of the Moscow-based Institute of CIS Countries, and commented upon Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent statement hinting plans for using the military base in Gyumri (Armenia's moment largest city) in the fight against the Islamic State
Is the the 102nd Military Nase involved in any way in the military operations in Syria?
The Russian troops in Syria fight certainly not only the Islamic State but also Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups. So Russia invests,where possible, its military potential in the fight against the Islamic State. But I do not fairly understand how it is possible at all to organize the fight against the Islamic State in Gyumri.
Don't you think a statement of the kind could develop a current insight of Armenia as a possible target for Islamist terrorists?
The thing is that the Russian military base in Gyumri can join the operations in Syria only by using Turkey's territory. I don't fairly understand how it is really feasible. They might need Iran's airspace to carry out flights. Bombers, or as a rule,launch attacks from the South Caucasus, not Armenia. Armenia does not have offensive aerial bombs on its territory, and hence the Gyumri military base is not used [in the fight] against the Islamic State or Jabhat al-Nusra.
Source: tert.am