Tatevik Khachatryan (assistant director with the Atlantic Council’s engagement team) and Srujan Palkar’s (global India fellow at the Atlantic Council) article, Why India and Armenia Are Now Taking Their Relationship to New Heights, published by the US-based Atlantic Council, argues that India and Armenia’s growing partnership is not just about defense cooperation but also about India’s broader strategic ambitions in Eurasia. The authors highlight how Armenia, facing security threats from Azerbaijan and a weakening Russian alliance, has turned to India as a reliable defense partner. This shift has made India Armenia’s largest arms supplier, providing advanced weaponry such as the Akash-1S air defense system and Pinaka rocket launchers.
However, the article emphasises that this partnership extends beyond military cooperation. India views Armenia as a key player in expanding its influence in the South Caucasus, countering regional rivals like Turkey and Pakistan, who back Azerbaijan. Additionally, Armenia plays a crucial role in India’s economic and connectivity strategy, mainly through the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to strengthen India’s trade links with Europe. The growing collaboration also includes joint technological, renewable energy, and infrastructure development efforts.
From an Indian perspective, this evolving relationship enhances India’s standing as a global arms exporter and strengthens its geopolitical foothold in a strategically significant region. The authors suggest that institutionalizing this partnership—through a formal 2+2 dialogue between defense and foreign ministers, expanded multilateral cooperation, and leveraging diasporas—would help both nations solidify long-term diplomatic, economic, and security ties. Ultimately, the article argues that India’s deepening engagement with Armenia is a strategic move that advances its influence in Eurasia and positions it as a key player in an increasingly multipolar world.
