Lieutenant-General Eduard Asryan, the chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, held talks in New Delhi with his Indian counterpart General Anil Chauhan on Apr. 28

Lieutenant-General Eduard Asryan, the Chief of the Armenian Army’s General Staff, visited India on Tuesday, underscoring the strengthening military ties between the two nations. His trip came just two months after hosting his Indian counterpart, General Anil Chauhan, in Yerevan.

During his visit to New Delhi, Asryan held talks with India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and General Chauhan.

The Indian Defence Ministry described Singh’s meeting with Asryan as “productive,” noting that discussions centred on expanding cooperation in areas such as training, capability development, and modernisation. India reaffirmed its role as a reliable partner, pledging continued support to Armenia with advanced defence equipment.

India’s Integrated Defence Staff highlighted that Chauhan’s separate talks with Asryan reflected the steady advancement of bilateral defence relations.

Both sides explored opportunities for joint ventures in military hardware development, reiterating their shared commitment to a robust, future-oriented, and mutually beneficial strategic partnership.

According to the Armenian Defence Ministry, the generals reached understandings on deepening cooperation across several professional domains, though no specific details were disclosed.

India has emerged as one of Armenia’s leading arms suppliers since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, during which Pakistan strongly supported Azerbaijan.

The multimillion-dollar defence contracts between India and Armenia reportedly cover deliveries of surface-to-air missiles, multiple-launch rocket systems, howitzers, and anti-drone equipment.

General Chauhan inspected some of this hardware during his February visit to Yerevan, where he met Asryan and Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan. The official Armenian readouts from those talks did not clarify whether additional arms deals were discussed or concluded.

Historically, Russia had been Armenia’s principal supplier of weapons and ammunition. However, Yerevan has increasingly sought alternative sources due to strained relations with Moscow and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has absorbed much of Russia’s defence production.

Since October 2023, Armenia has also signed several arms agreements with French companies, further diversifying its procurement strategy.

Armenian Media