Tweet
RUSSIA MAY BE USING GEORGIA'S AIRSPACE TO DELIVER ARMS TO ARMENIA
Rezonansi (in Georgian), Tbilisi, Georgia
Dec 12 2013
"Experts Say Armenia's Enhanced Armaments Pose Threat to Georgia.
'Georgian Representative Should Be Stationed in Yerevan Airport and
Examine Types of Armaments Coming From Russia'"
by Eka Otarashvili
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Armenia, the
reinforcement of the Russian military base in Gyumri with modernized
combat hardware has intensively begun. According to military experts,
Russia is using Georgian airspace illegally to deliver armaments to
Armenia and the Georgian Foreign Ministry has not reacted to this
for some reason.
According to military expert Vakhtang Maisaia, following Armenia's
final decision to turn down accession to the EU, the Kremlin offered
it to establish joint air defence systems together with Kazakhstan,
and the intensified deliveries of armaments that have taken place in
the last few days are the result of this.
[Russian troops stationed] in Armenia have now received new military
hardware: Mostly armoured vehicles, air defence systems, and MiG-29
fighters. Russia and Kazakhstan are creating a joint air defence system
and Belarus is joining them too. Putin also offered Armenia to become
part of this joint air defence system during his visit to Gyumri.
"A four-step air defence and missile defence system is being created.
These armaments also reflect a complex approach. Moreover, they are
modernizing the strategic armaments in the North Caucasus. Russia is
apparently building up its military forces and they will get around
to delivering the same kinds of supplies to the 4th and the 7th bases
stationed on Georgian territory in South Ossetia and Abkhazia soon.
Russia has two options for transporting these armaments: First,
via Georgian airspace and second, by land through Iran. However,
there is strong likelihood that the armaments are delivered through
the illegal use of our airspace," Maisaia said.
Maisaia noted that, according to reports in the Internet, 18
helicopters, armoured vehicles, weapons for armoured vehicles,
including BMP-3 and BTR-80, as well as modernized T-72 tanks and a
few T-90 tanks have now been delivered to Gyumri. Buk-2 operational
and tactical air defence systems have also been delivered.
It is worth noting that Yerevan has the S-300 systems capable of
shooting down any aircraft, as well as T-90 battle tanks and hundreds
of other types of armoured vehicles and heavy artillery systems. They
also have radio electronic systems capable of monitoring Georgian
territory.
Former Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze says that Russia is
continuing its military "tourism" in the South Caucasus. This time,
a few thousand extra military "tourists" will be deployed to the
Gyumri military base in Armenia, along with helicopters and other
types of military hardware. Meanwhile, Georgia's diplomatic efforts
have been extremely weak.
"The government has been silent and has not said anything about the
quantity of the armaments that Russia has delivered to the Gyumri
military base. You can go to the Internet and read about the quantities
of armaments delivered to Armenia before Putin's visit and the increase
in Russia's military potential. The Georgian government does not need
to make a statement about this but the Georgian government must speak
about this in international organizations without fail.
"The current government is not talking about this. I can tell
you this for certain. As has been the case with other matters,
Georgia's diplomatic efforts have been extremely weak. On the one
hand, they have intensified in a number of directions but it was
not difficult to intensify them there. European integration is
one example. However, they have been weak as far as international
organizations are concerned. The primary reason for this is the fact
that they treated the cadres that they had there very imprudently,"
the former foreign minister noted.
It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin went on
an official visit to Armenia 2 December and it was not Yerevan that
he travelled to first but the Russian military base in Gyumri, 120
kilometres away from Yerevan. He said at a press conference there
that Russia has never intended to withdraw from the South Caucasus
and that, on the contrary, "Russia is planning to further reinforce
its positions in the South Caucasus."
The main personnel of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri is made
up of 7,000 servicemen and reinforcing this base was the main subject
of the talks between the two presidents. They decided at the meeting
that, in exchange for Armenia's accession to the Customs Union, Yerevan
can buy Russian armaments at Russian domestic prices and natural gas
at a 35-per cent discount (for $189 per 1,000 cubic meters).
Irakli Aladashvili, editor-in-chief of the Arsenali military analytical
magazine, says that, during the visit, President Putin was also shown
the new Russian armaments deployed to Armenia that can pose a threat
to Georgia from the south.
"Before Putin's visit, the Armenian parliament approved a Defence
Ministry decree according to which Armenia will provide Russia with
additional territory for the stationing of a helicopter squadron.
Moreover, they deployed 18 MiG-29 fighters to the Erebuni air force
unit near Yerevan.
"The footage of the Gyumri base taken during Putin's visit showed two
new types of armaments - the Smerch multiple launch rocket systems
and the Buk-M1-2 missile systems - that had not previously been
deployed at the base. This hardware was apparently recently delivered
secretly to Armenia by military transport planes that flew through
Georgian airspace," Aladashvili said. He noted that the "proximity
of the Gyumri base to Georgia means that the Russian Smerch systems'
300-mm rockets that weigh 800 kg can easily reach Tbilisi from the
Armenian-Georgian border.
"As for the modernized Buk systems delivered to Gyumri, they can
detect aircraft flying at a relatively low altitude within a 40-km
range and can fire antiaircraft missiles at it in 15 seconds. This
means that Russian Buk systems stationed at the border will be capable
of detecting and targeting Georgian combat planes that take off from
the Marneuli airfield which is the main air base of the Georgian
Armed Forces."
Aladashvili said that the Georgian government has not authorized Russia
to transport combat hardware via Georgian airspace since the August
[2008 Georgian-Russian] war and that it would be interesting to know
whether the Russian side has informed the new Georgian Government
about the delivery of the Smerch systems to Armenia through Georgian
airspace.
"There has been talk that this hardware has been transported by
Armenian military transport planes, not Russian ones. For this reason,
a Georgian representative should be stationed at Yerevan airport
and should examine the types of armaments delivered from Russia,"
Aladashvili said.
[Translated from Georgian]
From: Baghdasarian
Rezonansi (in Georgian), Tbilisi, Georgia
Dec 12 2013
"Experts Say Armenia's Enhanced Armaments Pose Threat to Georgia.
'Georgian Representative Should Be Stationed in Yerevan Airport and
Examine Types of Armaments Coming From Russia'"
by Eka Otarashvili
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Armenia, the
reinforcement of the Russian military base in Gyumri with modernized
combat hardware has intensively begun. According to military experts,
Russia is using Georgian airspace illegally to deliver armaments to
Armenia and the Georgian Foreign Ministry has not reacted to this
for some reason.
According to military expert Vakhtang Maisaia, following Armenia's
final decision to turn down accession to the EU, the Kremlin offered
it to establish joint air defence systems together with Kazakhstan,
and the intensified deliveries of armaments that have taken place in
the last few days are the result of this.
[Russian troops stationed] in Armenia have now received new military
hardware: Mostly armoured vehicles, air defence systems, and MiG-29
fighters. Russia and Kazakhstan are creating a joint air defence system
and Belarus is joining them too. Putin also offered Armenia to become
part of this joint air defence system during his visit to Gyumri.
"A four-step air defence and missile defence system is being created.
These armaments also reflect a complex approach. Moreover, they are
modernizing the strategic armaments in the North Caucasus. Russia is
apparently building up its military forces and they will get around
to delivering the same kinds of supplies to the 4th and the 7th bases
stationed on Georgian territory in South Ossetia and Abkhazia soon.
Russia has two options for transporting these armaments: First,
via Georgian airspace and second, by land through Iran. However,
there is strong likelihood that the armaments are delivered through
the illegal use of our airspace," Maisaia said.
Maisaia noted that, according to reports in the Internet, 18
helicopters, armoured vehicles, weapons for armoured vehicles,
including BMP-3 and BTR-80, as well as modernized T-72 tanks and a
few T-90 tanks have now been delivered to Gyumri. Buk-2 operational
and tactical air defence systems have also been delivered.
It is worth noting that Yerevan has the S-300 systems capable of
shooting down any aircraft, as well as T-90 battle tanks and hundreds
of other types of armoured vehicles and heavy artillery systems. They
also have radio electronic systems capable of monitoring Georgian
territory.
Former Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze says that Russia is
continuing its military "tourism" in the South Caucasus. This time,
a few thousand extra military "tourists" will be deployed to the
Gyumri military base in Armenia, along with helicopters and other
types of military hardware. Meanwhile, Georgia's diplomatic efforts
have been extremely weak.
"The government has been silent and has not said anything about the
quantity of the armaments that Russia has delivered to the Gyumri
military base. You can go to the Internet and read about the quantities
of armaments delivered to Armenia before Putin's visit and the increase
in Russia's military potential. The Georgian government does not need
to make a statement about this but the Georgian government must speak
about this in international organizations without fail.
"The current government is not talking about this. I can tell
you this for certain. As has been the case with other matters,
Georgia's diplomatic efforts have been extremely weak. On the one
hand, they have intensified in a number of directions but it was
not difficult to intensify them there. European integration is
one example. However, they have been weak as far as international
organizations are concerned. The primary reason for this is the fact
that they treated the cadres that they had there very imprudently,"
the former foreign minister noted.
It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin went on
an official visit to Armenia 2 December and it was not Yerevan that
he travelled to first but the Russian military base in Gyumri, 120
kilometres away from Yerevan. He said at a press conference there
that Russia has never intended to withdraw from the South Caucasus
and that, on the contrary, "Russia is planning to further reinforce
its positions in the South Caucasus."
The main personnel of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri is made
up of 7,000 servicemen and reinforcing this base was the main subject
of the talks between the two presidents. They decided at the meeting
that, in exchange for Armenia's accession to the Customs Union, Yerevan
can buy Russian armaments at Russian domestic prices and natural gas
at a 35-per cent discount (for $189 per 1,000 cubic meters).
Irakli Aladashvili, editor-in-chief of the Arsenali military analytical
magazine, says that, during the visit, President Putin was also shown
the new Russian armaments deployed to Armenia that can pose a threat
to Georgia from the south.
"Before Putin's visit, the Armenian parliament approved a Defence
Ministry decree according to which Armenia will provide Russia with
additional territory for the stationing of a helicopter squadron.
Moreover, they deployed 18 MiG-29 fighters to the Erebuni air force
unit near Yerevan.
"The footage of the Gyumri base taken during Putin's visit showed two
new types of armaments - the Smerch multiple launch rocket systems
and the Buk-M1-2 missile systems - that had not previously been
deployed at the base. This hardware was apparently recently delivered
secretly to Armenia by military transport planes that flew through
Georgian airspace," Aladashvili said. He noted that the "proximity
of the Gyumri base to Georgia means that the Russian Smerch systems'
300-mm rockets that weigh 800 kg can easily reach Tbilisi from the
Armenian-Georgian border.
"As for the modernized Buk systems delivered to Gyumri, they can
detect aircraft flying at a relatively low altitude within a 40-km
range and can fire antiaircraft missiles at it in 15 seconds. This
means that Russian Buk systems stationed at the border will be capable
of detecting and targeting Georgian combat planes that take off from
the Marneuli airfield which is the main air base of the Georgian
Armed Forces."
Aladashvili said that the Georgian government has not authorized Russia
to transport combat hardware via Georgian airspace since the August
[2008 Georgian-Russian] war and that it would be interesting to know
whether the Russian side has informed the new Georgian Government
about the delivery of the Smerch systems to Armenia through Georgian
airspace.
"There has been talk that this hardware has been transported by
Armenian military transport planes, not Russian ones. For this reason,
a Georgian representative should be stationed at Yerevan airport
and should examine the types of armaments delivered from Russia,"
Aladashvili said.
[Translated from Georgian]
From: Baghdasarian