Russia guarantees assistance in ensuring the security of Armenia if there is a threat to its integrity, independence and sovereignty, according to Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security.

Bondarev said on his Telegram channel that Russia is aimed at constructive dialogue and good neighborliness with all CIS countries, but among them one of the key strategic partners of the Russian Federation is Armenia.

"We cooperate through the CSTO and guarantee assistance in ensuring the security of Armenia in cases where there is a threat to its integrity, independence, sovereignty. The Russian military base in Gyumri is an outpost for protecting the Asian region from external aggression," the Senator said.

He maintained that when Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020, Russia made an "invaluable and decisive contribution to its peaceful settlement."

Bondarev also revealed that he and his colleagues are flying to Armenia for events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Second Karabakh war lasted 44 days and ended when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev signed a ceasefire statement on November 9, 2020. Under the deal, the Armenian side returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.