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RUSSIA DENIES AZERBAIJAN BUYS ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES
DefenseNews.com
July 29 2010
MOSCOW - A Russian newspaper reported July 29 that ex-Soviet Azerbaijan
had bought Russian anti-aircraft missile systems worth $300 million
but Moscow denied the claim.
Quoting Russian arms industry sources, the Vedomosti daily reported
that Baku had signed the deal with Russian state arms exporter
Rosoboronexport last year to purchase two batteries of S-300
anti-aircraft systems, in the largest purchase of arms from Moscow
by an ex-Soviet country.
Russian news agencies however quoted Rosoboronexport denying the sale.
"Rosoboronexport has no information on the supplies of S-300 missile
systems to Azerbaijan and has no contract obligations over this," the
ITAR-TASS news agency quoted company spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko
as saying.
Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesman Abbas Shirinov also declined to
confirm the purchase, saying only: "Azerbaijan continues to strengthen
its army."
Awash with cash from oil and gas exports, Azerbaijan has nearly
doubled defense spending in the last two years amid rising tensions
with arch-rival Armenia over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of
Nagorny Karabakh.
The Vedomosti report quoted an unidentified Russian military official
as saying the systems would not be useful in a new conflict over
Karabakh.
Armenia does not have the kind of attack planes or ballistic missiles
that the systems would normally be used against.
The official said the purchase was most likely aimed at Azerbaijan
securing itself in case of a western strike on neighboring Iran.
Russia signaled last month it was moving to halt its controversial
sale of the same S-300 systems to Iran, in a policy shift the Kremlin
said was needed after fresh U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear drive.
From: A. Papazian
DefenseNews.com
July 29 2010
MOSCOW - A Russian newspaper reported July 29 that ex-Soviet Azerbaijan
had bought Russian anti-aircraft missile systems worth $300 million
but Moscow denied the claim.
Quoting Russian arms industry sources, the Vedomosti daily reported
that Baku had signed the deal with Russian state arms exporter
Rosoboronexport last year to purchase two batteries of S-300
anti-aircraft systems, in the largest purchase of arms from Moscow
by an ex-Soviet country.
Russian news agencies however quoted Rosoboronexport denying the sale.
"Rosoboronexport has no information on the supplies of S-300 missile
systems to Azerbaijan and has no contract obligations over this," the
ITAR-TASS news agency quoted company spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko
as saying.
Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesman Abbas Shirinov also declined to
confirm the purchase, saying only: "Azerbaijan continues to strengthen
its army."
Awash with cash from oil and gas exports, Azerbaijan has nearly
doubled defense spending in the last two years amid rising tensions
with arch-rival Armenia over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of
Nagorny Karabakh.
The Vedomosti report quoted an unidentified Russian military official
as saying the systems would not be useful in a new conflict over
Karabakh.
Armenia does not have the kind of attack planes or ballistic missiles
that the systems would normally be used against.
The official said the purchase was most likely aimed at Azerbaijan
securing itself in case of a western strike on neighboring Iran.
Russia signaled last month it was moving to halt its controversial
sale of the same S-300 systems to Iran, in a policy shift the Kremlin
said was needed after fresh U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear drive.
From: A. Papazian