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WPS Agency, Russia
August 17, 2012 Friday
"TORNADOES" AT A REASONABLE PRICE
by Sokhbet Mamedov, Svetlana Gamova
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, #164, 17.08.2012, p. 1
According to the Ukrainian media, officials of the Ukraine denied the
information about the covert arms sales to Armenia through Moldavia.
However, the expert community of Azerbaijan is of the opinion that an
attempt of such a transaction could have taken place. Baku officials
have not so far commented on the new arms scandal around Kiev, Yerevan
and Chisinau. They are referring to the investigation.
"The letter showing the sales of the Ukrainian weapons to Armenia may
be authentic. But the Azerbaijani side had prevented this operation in
time ", - said political scientist Rasim Musabekov, Deputy of Milli
Majlis. "I have no doubt in the tendency of the Ukraine to sell
weapons to foreign states".
"Every state wants to earn money. But the Embassy of this country has
clarified the issue, and it has calmed the Azerbaijani concerns a
little", noted the political scientist.
The point is that the information that in 2011 the Ukraine had
secretly sold weapons to Armenia was spread recently. It was reported
that Moldova, too, was involved in the deal. The information was
spread with the reference to the secret letter written by
Lieutenant-General Sergei Gmyza, Chief of the main intelligence
Department of the Ministry of defense of Ukraine, to President Viktor
Yanukovych. The letter indicated the ways of delivery of the multiple
launch rocket system "Smerch" ("Tornado"), its missiles (12 units) and
portable anti-aircraft missile complex "Igla" (50 units) to Armenia,
agreed upon between the "UkrSpetsExport" state institution, the main
exporter of the Ukrainian arms, and the Armenian DG Arms Corporation.
The letter also informed on the payment of 50% of the contract value
by the Armenian side and on the fact that the Azerbaijani side might
learn about it.
The Ukrainian foreign Ministry strongly denies the charges in a hidden
export of military equipment to Armenia. "The materials published in
some Internet editions are of an unknown origin and have a provocative
character", - said Alexander Dikusarov, press-secretary of the Foreign
Ministry of the Ukraine. He assured that the Ukraine strictly observes
its international obligations and its commitments to the UN, the OSCE,
and also operates in the framework of its national legislation.
The current scandal surrounding the weapons traded to Armenia is not
the first one. In September 2011 a story about the plane from Libya
which had landed in Moldova and then took off from there with rocket
complexes and shells to them on board to Armenia had got a great
resonance. (...)
At the same time a number of experts consider that this scandal might
have been initiated by Russia with the aim to drive a wedge into the
traditionally friendly Ukrainian-Azerbaijani relations, the strategic
nature of which is a constant priority for the foreign policy of the
Ukraine.
According to the military expert Il'drym Mammadli, among the CIS
countries Russia occupies the first place in the sales of weapons, the
Ukraine is the second, and the Republic of Belarus is the third. The
rest of the countries are mostly buyers. In recent years the relations
between the Ukraine and Russia leave much to be desired, and it can
well be assumed that discrediting Kiev is beneficial for Moscow.
"However, despite this, I would easily believe that the Ukraine was
selling its weapons to Armenia. It is profitable for the Ukraine to
buy obsolete Eastern European and Soviet weapons, then go to their
modeling and re-sell it to other countries", - he noted.
It should be noted that official Baku has preferred not yet comment on
the news, having diplomatically noticed that this information is being
studied. Apparently, it was due to another no less important event, a
sudden visit of the Vice-Premier of the government of the Russian
Federation Dmitry Rogozin to Baku on Wednesday evening,. Rogozin went
directly from the airport to a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev
with whom he is familiar for a long time since their mutual activities
in PACE where they both headed the national delegations of their
countries.
It is unknown what they spoke about at the meeting,. It was officially
reported that "in the course of the meeting it was stressed that the
bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are developing
successfully in various fields, including the field of the military
industry. There was also an exchange of views on the prospects of
cooperation in this sphere. The sides expressed confidence that the
visit of Rogozin in Azerbaijan will deepen the bilateral cooperation".
Commenting on the visit, political scientist Fikret Sadikhov,
Professor of the Baku Western University, said: "Rogozin supervises
the military-industrial unit in the government of Russia, so it is
natural that the military-technical cooperation between our countries
should be discussed in the framework of this visit. This is not only
the issues relating to the lease of the Gabala radar station. This is
a wide range of issues. Perhaps there could be a discussion of various
problems of our military priorities, attitude to regional conflicts,
and coordination of activities". According to the analyst, "it is
impossible not to discuss the issue of extending the lease of the
Gabala radar station by Russia ". "The situation with the resolution
of this issue has been delayed. And there are questions which require
a volitional decision at a sufficiently high level. If Rogozin is
going to discuss this problem and is ready for the implementation of
the conditions put by Azerbaijan, then in general it is a good
prospect", - resumes the political scientist.
Baku
[Translated from Russian]
August 17, 2012 Friday
"TORNADOES" AT A REASONABLE PRICE
by Sokhbet Mamedov, Svetlana Gamova
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, #164, 17.08.2012, p. 1
According to the Ukrainian media, officials of the Ukraine denied the
information about the covert arms sales to Armenia through Moldavia.
However, the expert community of Azerbaijan is of the opinion that an
attempt of such a transaction could have taken place. Baku officials
have not so far commented on the new arms scandal around Kiev, Yerevan
and Chisinau. They are referring to the investigation.
"The letter showing the sales of the Ukrainian weapons to Armenia may
be authentic. But the Azerbaijani side had prevented this operation in
time ", - said political scientist Rasim Musabekov, Deputy of Milli
Majlis. "I have no doubt in the tendency of the Ukraine to sell
weapons to foreign states".
"Every state wants to earn money. But the Embassy of this country has
clarified the issue, and it has calmed the Azerbaijani concerns a
little", noted the political scientist.
The point is that the information that in 2011 the Ukraine had
secretly sold weapons to Armenia was spread recently. It was reported
that Moldova, too, was involved in the deal. The information was
spread with the reference to the secret letter written by
Lieutenant-General Sergei Gmyza, Chief of the main intelligence
Department of the Ministry of defense of Ukraine, to President Viktor
Yanukovych. The letter indicated the ways of delivery of the multiple
launch rocket system "Smerch" ("Tornado"), its missiles (12 units) and
portable anti-aircraft missile complex "Igla" (50 units) to Armenia,
agreed upon between the "UkrSpetsExport" state institution, the main
exporter of the Ukrainian arms, and the Armenian DG Arms Corporation.
The letter also informed on the payment of 50% of the contract value
by the Armenian side and on the fact that the Azerbaijani side might
learn about it.
The Ukrainian foreign Ministry strongly denies the charges in a hidden
export of military equipment to Armenia. "The materials published in
some Internet editions are of an unknown origin and have a provocative
character", - said Alexander Dikusarov, press-secretary of the Foreign
Ministry of the Ukraine. He assured that the Ukraine strictly observes
its international obligations and its commitments to the UN, the OSCE,
and also operates in the framework of its national legislation.
The current scandal surrounding the weapons traded to Armenia is not
the first one. In September 2011 a story about the plane from Libya
which had landed in Moldova and then took off from there with rocket
complexes and shells to them on board to Armenia had got a great
resonance. (...)
At the same time a number of experts consider that this scandal might
have been initiated by Russia with the aim to drive a wedge into the
traditionally friendly Ukrainian-Azerbaijani relations, the strategic
nature of which is a constant priority for the foreign policy of the
Ukraine.
According to the military expert Il'drym Mammadli, among the CIS
countries Russia occupies the first place in the sales of weapons, the
Ukraine is the second, and the Republic of Belarus is the third. The
rest of the countries are mostly buyers. In recent years the relations
between the Ukraine and Russia leave much to be desired, and it can
well be assumed that discrediting Kiev is beneficial for Moscow.
"However, despite this, I would easily believe that the Ukraine was
selling its weapons to Armenia. It is profitable for the Ukraine to
buy obsolete Eastern European and Soviet weapons, then go to their
modeling and re-sell it to other countries", - he noted.
It should be noted that official Baku has preferred not yet comment on
the news, having diplomatically noticed that this information is being
studied. Apparently, it was due to another no less important event, a
sudden visit of the Vice-Premier of the government of the Russian
Federation Dmitry Rogozin to Baku on Wednesday evening,. Rogozin went
directly from the airport to a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev
with whom he is familiar for a long time since their mutual activities
in PACE where they both headed the national delegations of their
countries.
It is unknown what they spoke about at the meeting,. It was officially
reported that "in the course of the meeting it was stressed that the
bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are developing
successfully in various fields, including the field of the military
industry. There was also an exchange of views on the prospects of
cooperation in this sphere. The sides expressed confidence that the
visit of Rogozin in Azerbaijan will deepen the bilateral cooperation".
Commenting on the visit, political scientist Fikret Sadikhov,
Professor of the Baku Western University, said: "Rogozin supervises
the military-industrial unit in the government of Russia, so it is
natural that the military-technical cooperation between our countries
should be discussed in the framework of this visit. This is not only
the issues relating to the lease of the Gabala radar station. This is
a wide range of issues. Perhaps there could be a discussion of various
problems of our military priorities, attitude to regional conflicts,
and coordination of activities". According to the analyst, "it is
impossible not to discuss the issue of extending the lease of the
Gabala radar station by Russia ". "The situation with the resolution
of this issue has been delayed. And there are questions which require
a volitional decision at a sufficiently high level. If Rogozin is
going to discuss this problem and is ready for the implementation of
the conditions put by Azerbaijan, then in general it is a good
prospect", - resumes the political scientist.
Baku
[Translated from Russian]