The growing potential of the India-Armenia bilateral is anchored in defense and security cooperation. As a central component of the latter, intelligence liaison can enable policymakers to accomplish the full potential of this bilateral, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) writes.
As a consequence of the war in Ukraine, the regional influence of Russia—which has been the traditional security guarantor of the South Caucasus—has dwindled. In the subsequent multi-stakeholder contest for control in regional geopolitics, Armenia has sought to redefine its strategic posture away from its post-Soviet identity. This shift has reiterated the need for increased diversity of strategic partners for Yerevan.
Defense relations have strengthened since 2020 as a result of India’s diplomatic and military support for Armenia in its war of self-defense against Azerbaijan. A combination of geopolitical factors have drawn New Delhi and Yerevan into a closer strategic partnership in recent years. In this context, close security ties with India, especially in intelligence, gain significance.
Issue-based intelligence-sharing between partner agencies in New Delhi and Yerevan would achieve two key common goals. First, it could add greater weight to the bilateral relations. Second, it will allow policymakers in both countries to identify areas of convergence, opportunities, and threats within the partnership in the short and long term.
Shifting regional geopolitics have led to the Armenian government undertaking an overhaul of its intelligence apparatus, establishing a new foreign intelligence service, and restructuring the NSS to better tackle new counterintelligence and internal security challenges. These changes present opportunities for Indo-Armenian intelligence cooperation.
The Turkey-Pakistan nexus in the Caucasus has also driven intelligence cooperation between India and Armenia.
India and Armenia are yet to fully explore the untapped potential of their relationship. Both countries hold the power to reshape the regional order and articulate their new national identities at a time of unprecedented geopolitical flux. Intelligence liaison between India and Armenia can go a long way in solidifying this incipient relationship and strengthen the bilateral security partnership.
