아르메니아, 인도와 국방 및 경제 협력 강화

[위종민]

아제르바이잔에게 두들겨 맞은 뒤 러시아를 손절 친 아르메니아가 대신 인도와 손을 잡네요. 

Why India and Armenia are now taking their relationship to new heights - Atlantic Council

Why India and Armenia are now taking their relationship to new heights

Why India and Armenia are now taking their relationship to new heights

By Tatevik Khachatryan and Srujan Palkar

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trips to Paris and Washington, DC, in the past month were high-profile examples of India’s diplomatic engagement with major powers. But under the radar, New Delhi has made important strides with smaller countries as well.

India and Armenia, for example, have steadily strengthened their defense partnership since 2020, driven by a shared need for strategic alliances in a turbulent geopolitical landscape. For Armenia, a small landlocked country in the South Caucasus, ongoing security threats from neighboring Azerbaijan have necessitated a shift away from its traditional dependence on Russian military support. 

The South Caucasus remains politically unstable, marked by territorial conflicts and shifting alliances. The loss of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), displacing an estimated 100,000 ethnic Armenians, underscores this instability. Ongoing tensions raise security concerns for Armenia, which is promoting efforts to expand its diplomatic and security agreements following Russia’s failure to uphold its security agreement. Russia’s diminishing influence in the region and specifically with Armenia, exacerbated by a lack of support for Armenia’s defense against Azerbaijan and by its invasion of Ukraine, has made it more urgent for Armenia to find new, reliable partners.

To bolster its defense, it has turned to India, expanding its procurement of Indian weapons systems, such as the Akash-1S air defense system and the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher. This partnership not only enhances Armenia’s defense capabilities but also allows India to expand its influence in the South Caucasus, where it faces opposition from Turkish and Pakistani alliances that support Azerbaijan.

Critically, however, India’s involvement in Armenia goes beyond defense; it is part of a broader regional strategy. By deepening relations with Armenia, India strengthens its position as a major player across Eurasia and emphasizes the importance of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to connect India with Europe through Armenia and Iran. Moreover, India’s support for Armenia’s latest “Crossroads for Peace” initiative—a regional transport proposal that aims to connect Armenia with its neighbors—would be beneficial for regional development and could potentially offer India new business and trade opportunities.

Defense and beyond

The growing military and diplomatic cooperation between India and Armenia benefits both countries beyond immediate defense concerns. From a geopolitical perspective, India is filling a vacuum left by Russia, which has traditionally supplied most of Armenia’s arms. How actively the United States will support this development going forward depends on the broader strategic dynamics of US-India and US-Armenia relations. Armenia has signed multiple defense deals with India, making India its largest defense supplier, replacing its decade-long largest supplier, Russia, in 2020. These agreements include advanced technologies such as anti-drone systems, radars, and air-defense missiles. This shift strengthens Armenia’s military and secures for India a strategic partner in a region that could serve as a gateway for Indian exports to both Europe and Russia. 

Beyond military collaboration, Armenia and India are also expanding their economic partnership. In 2024, leaders from both countries explored potential cooperation in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure development. With Armenia emerging as a tech powerhouse in the Southern Caucasus, it could serve as an important hub for Indian high-tech companies, helping India gain access to new markets in the Eurasian Economic Union.

At the same time, both nations have sought to strengthen people-to-people connections by fostering dialogues around labor, education, and cultural exchanges.

What to expect next

While defense remains central to India-Armenia relations, both countries must work to institutionalize their growing security partnership alongside existing trade relations, which total $400 million in precious metals, broadcasting equipment, and infrastructure. 

One important next step is establishing a formal 2+2 dialogue mechanism, bringing together the defense and foreign ministers of both nations. This would elevate the relationship from a tactical military collaboration to a more comprehensive strategic partnership and enhance both security and diplomatic coordination on broader regional issues. 

Additionally, India and Armenia could further expand their multilateral engagement. Their partnership, for example, could extend to collaborations with other nations that share mutual interests in defense, trade, and infrastructure. Deepening cooperation in technology and artificial intelligence—particularly in cybersecurity and space technology—would further broaden the scope of the partnership.

Another critical focus is leveraging the potential of the Armenian and Indian diasporas. Both countries have significant expatriate communities that can act as ambassadors for economic and cultural diplomacy. Establishing a joint diaspora cooperation framework could unlock new trade and investment opportunities.

India and Armenia have laid a solid foundation for collaboration in recent years, with defense cooperation as a strong pillar. Now, both nations must seize the opportunity to transform this relationship into a strategic partnership, advancing their geopolitical, economic, and security interests in an increasingly multipolar world.

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Tatevik Khachatryan is an assistant director with the Atlantic Council’s engagement team.

Srujan Palkar is an assistant director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.

[백선호]

왜 굳이 인도제 무기를 도입하는 것일까요??? 아니면 인도가 꿔준 돈으로 사는 것일까요?

[위종민]

https://jamestown.org/program/india-becomes-armenias-largest-defense-supplier/

인도가 아르메니아에 자금지원을 한다는 얘기는 없는 것 같습니다. 인도 측 입장은 파키스탄이 터키 편을 들어 아제르바이잔을 지지하니, 그에 대항해 이란-아르메니아와 가까이 지내자!는 것 같네요.

" Türkiye vociferously supported Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir, and Pakistan, in return, stood with Türkiye in supporting Azerbaijan on the Karabakh dispute against Armenia"