{"id":294901,"date":"2026-08-28T14:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T10:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/?p=294901"},"modified":"2026-08-28T17:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:34:24","slug":"why-is-a-small-country-like-armenia-so-important-to-india-ndtv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/en\/news\/294901\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is a small country like Armenia so important to India? \u2014 NDTV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Armenia has signed defense contracts worth nearly $2 billion with India since 2020.<\/p>\n

India’s Defense Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, was recently on an official visit to Armenia, testifying to deepening defense cooperation between the two countries. This marks a structural shift from procurement toward closer operational and staff-level engagement.<\/p>\n

In their negotiations, attended also by the Indian Ambassador in Yerevan, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, they addressed regional and international security dynamics, highlighting the strategic alignment of both nations regarding South Caucasus stability and cooperation, NDTV<\/a> writes.<\/p>\n

Reportedly, Armenian special forces have undergone training in India’s defense institutions.<\/p>\n

Most significantly, however, the tiny country has emerged as India’s largest weapons buyer, giving an enormous boost to India’s defense sector. Given India’s policy of boosting defense exports and transitioning to an arms-exporting country, this naturally elevates Armenia’s position in India’s strategic calculus. But it also raises the fundamental question – is Armenia significant for India only for its defense imports.<\/p>\n

With defense ties including capacity building, joint manufacturing, and setting up of joint manufacturing bases in Armenia, the ties are synergised by the fact that the country has a large pool of specialists. It can become a hub for defense exports further to countries in the region and beyond to Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

Understanding the geopolitical and geoeconomic benefits that can accrue, the US has now involved itself in this infrastructurally, through the Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project. This is envisaged to expand further into a multimodal trade and transport corridor connecting Central Asia to Europe, encompassing rail, road, oil and gas pipelines, fiber-optic cables, and electricity transmission lines.<\/p>\n

For India, this is significant. The shortest route to the Black Sea and Southern and Eastern Europe runs from Iran’s Chabahar Port to Armenia via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).<\/p>\n

Of course, such access requires Iranian cooperation, but the government has by now made it clear it is not giving up its investments in Iran. Neither is it about to forfeit its Eurasian connectivity ambitions. The current impasse, both through the chokepoints of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab El Mandeb, adds grist to the mill. It also requires infrastructure investments in Armenia, and that is something India should consider.<\/p>\n

The Mecca pact makes it imperative for India to consider and explore all variables and alternatives. Armenia’s geostrategic location makes it important for India to stay invested in the country.<\/p>\n

Besides, there are a plethora of other avenues of cooperation with Armenia – trade, setting up manufacturing bases for Indian companies, and migration corridors. Currently, Armenia hosts about 50,000 Indian workers; education, space research, science and technology, and tourism.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"