Armenia’s army chief visits India for talks on expanded defense cooperation
Armenia’s top military commander visited India on Tuesday, underscoring rapidly deepening defense ties two months after he hosted India’s chief of defense in Yerevan. The talks in New Delhi focused on expanding cooperation across training, capability development and modernization, according to Indian officials.
Lieutenant-General Eduard Asrian, chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, met India’s Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and General Anil Chauhan, the chief of the Indian Defense Staff. India’s Defense Ministry described Singh’s meeting with Asrian as productive and said India reaffirmed its commitment to be a reliable partner and to support Armenia with state-of-the-art defense equipment.
India’s Integrated Defense Staff said Chauhan’s separate talks with Asrian highlighted the steady advancement of Indian-Armenian defense relations and included exploration of possible joint ventures in developing military hardware, calling the partnership robust, future-oriented and mutually beneficial in a post on X.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry said the generals reached understandings on deepening cooperation in a number of professional areas, without providing details. India has become one of Armenia’s leading arms suppliers since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, during which Pakistan strongly supported Azerbaijan.
Their multimillion-dollar defense contracts reportedly include deliveries of Indian surface-to-air missiles, multiple-launch rocket systems, howitzers and anti-drone equipment to the Armenian army. Chauhan inspected some of that hardware during a five-day visit to Yerevan in early February, when he met Asrian and Defense Minister Suren Papikian.
Official Armenian readouts did not say whether the sides reached or discussed additional arms deals. Russia long served as Armenia’s principal source of weapons and ammunition. Yerevan has been seeking alternative suppliers amid growing tensions with Moscow and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which is absorbing much of Russia’s defense production.
Since October 2023, Armenia has also signed a number of arms deals with French companies.