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RusData Dialine - BizEkon News, Russia
August 20, 2012 Monday
Ukraine could have supplied arms to Armenia
by: Konstantin Prigozhev
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Ukrainian officials have denied reports that Ukraine secretly sold
arms to Armenia via Moldova, the Ukrainian media reported recently.
But experts in Azerbaijan believe an attempt to make such a deal could
have taken place. "A letter describing Ukraine's sale of arms to
Armenia could be true.
But Azerbaijan managed to prevent this operation," Rasim Musabekov,
Azeri MP, told reporters. "I do not doubt Ukraine sells weapons to
other countries," he said. It was recently reported that in 2011
Ukraine secretly sold arms to Armenia. The report quoted a secret
letter from Ukraine's intelligence chief, Sergei Gmyza, to Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovych. The letter listed a Smerch rocket launch
system with 12 rockets and 50 Igla surface- to-air launchers supplied
by the agency Ukrspetsexport to Armenia's DG Arms Corporation. The
letter also said Armenia paid 50% of the contracted price. Ukraine's
Foreign Ministry is vehemently denying the covert export of military
equipment to Armenia. "The news carried by some online sources are of
uncertain origin and provocative in nature," Alexander Dikusarov, the
Ministry's press secretary, said. He was adamant that Ukraine is
strictly observing its international commitments to the UN and the
OSCE. This is not the first scandal involving arms sales to Armenia.
In September 2011, there was, reportedly, an aircraft from Libya that
touched down in Moldova and then left with a cargo of missile systems
and ammunition for Armenia. This story also mentioned Ukraine. Yerevan
and Chisinau at first denied there was any military cargo or a buyer.
But it all ended with apologies from Moldova's Prime Minister Vladimir
Filat to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. Baku does not want arms being
supplied to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area. On the other hand,
some analysts believe Russia could have fueled this scandal to drive a
wedge between traditionally friendly Ukraine and Azerbaijan. According
to Ildrym Mamedly, a military expert, Russia is the leading arms
exporter in the CIS, followed by Ukraine and Belarus. The other CIS
countries are mainly buyers. In recent years relations between Ukraine
and Russia have been unstable, and it may well be that Moscow can
profit from discrediting Kiev. "But I believe that Ukraine did sell
weapons to Armenia. Ukraine finds profit from buying outdated Eastern
European and Soviet arms, rebuilding and then selling them to other
countries," Mamedly said.
Officials in Baku are not commenting on the reports. This is probably
due to a sudden visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
Rogozin headed for a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev straight from
the airport. No one knows what they discussed, but an official
statement says: "It was emphasized that bilateral relations between
Azerbaijan and Russia are developing successfully in many areas,
including the munitions industry." Political analyst Fikret Sadykhov,
commenting on the visit, said: "Rogozin oversees the defense industry
in the Russian government and naturally the visit will be used to
discuss military and technical cooperation between the two countries."
August 20, 2012 Monday
Ukraine could have supplied arms to Armenia
by: Konstantin Prigozhev
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Ukrainian officials have denied reports that Ukraine secretly sold
arms to Armenia via Moldova, the Ukrainian media reported recently.
But experts in Azerbaijan believe an attempt to make such a deal could
have taken place. "A letter describing Ukraine's sale of arms to
Armenia could be true.
But Azerbaijan managed to prevent this operation," Rasim Musabekov,
Azeri MP, told reporters. "I do not doubt Ukraine sells weapons to
other countries," he said. It was recently reported that in 2011
Ukraine secretly sold arms to Armenia. The report quoted a secret
letter from Ukraine's intelligence chief, Sergei Gmyza, to Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovych. The letter listed a Smerch rocket launch
system with 12 rockets and 50 Igla surface- to-air launchers supplied
by the agency Ukrspetsexport to Armenia's DG Arms Corporation. The
letter also said Armenia paid 50% of the contracted price. Ukraine's
Foreign Ministry is vehemently denying the covert export of military
equipment to Armenia. "The news carried by some online sources are of
uncertain origin and provocative in nature," Alexander Dikusarov, the
Ministry's press secretary, said. He was adamant that Ukraine is
strictly observing its international commitments to the UN and the
OSCE. This is not the first scandal involving arms sales to Armenia.
In September 2011, there was, reportedly, an aircraft from Libya that
touched down in Moldova and then left with a cargo of missile systems
and ammunition for Armenia. This story also mentioned Ukraine. Yerevan
and Chisinau at first denied there was any military cargo or a buyer.
But it all ended with apologies from Moldova's Prime Minister Vladimir
Filat to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. Baku does not want arms being
supplied to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area. On the other hand,
some analysts believe Russia could have fueled this scandal to drive a
wedge between traditionally friendly Ukraine and Azerbaijan. According
to Ildrym Mamedly, a military expert, Russia is the leading arms
exporter in the CIS, followed by Ukraine and Belarus. The other CIS
countries are mainly buyers. In recent years relations between Ukraine
and Russia have been unstable, and it may well be that Moscow can
profit from discrediting Kiev. "But I believe that Ukraine did sell
weapons to Armenia. Ukraine finds profit from buying outdated Eastern
European and Soviet arms, rebuilding and then selling them to other
countries," Mamedly said.
Officials in Baku are not commenting on the reports. This is probably
due to a sudden visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
Rogozin headed for a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev straight from
the airport. No one knows what they discussed, but an official
statement says: "It was emphasized that bilateral relations between
Azerbaijan and Russia are developing successfully in many areas,
including the munitions industry." Political analyst Fikret Sadykhov,
commenting on the visit, said: "Rogozin oversees the defense industry
in the Russian government and naturally the visit will be used to
discuss military and technical cooperation between the two countries."