Tweet
RUSSIA RISKS LOSING ARMENIA AS ALLY, SAYS DASHNAK LEADER
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Armenia - Hrant Markarian, a leader of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, speaks to journalists, 27Feb2012.
Armenia - Hrant Markarian, a leader of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, speaks to journalists, 27Feb2012.
Sargis Harutyunyan
15.07.2014
Russia will lose Armenia as an ally if it continues to supply arms to
Azerbaijan in large amounts, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) said on Tuesday.
In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am)
representative of the opposition party’s Bureau Hrant Markarian
reacted to recent reports suggesting that Moscow has sold modern
types of weapons, including heavy materiel, worth around $4 billion
to Baku in recent years.
“Russia should realize that this way it cannot keep its allies
around for a long time. It should realize that this way it will lose
them,” Markarian said. “One can always find options, one
should always look for options, there are always ways, hard or easy,
ways in which we may pay a heavy price, but still have an option. I
don’t think that we are so helpless that our only way can be
with Russia. And Russia should also realize this. It should realize
that this is a wrong approach and it may have great losses.”
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian recently voiced dismay at continuing
deliveries of Russian offensive weapons to Azerbaijan. In an interview
with Argentinean media during a visit to Buenos Aires last week
Sarkisian, however, insisted that Russia remains committed to its
military alliance with Armenia.
“It is a very painful subject and our people are worried that
our strategic ally sells weapons to Azerbaijan,” the Armenian
president said. “But we are very confident that Armenia has the
capability to defend its borders… Despite the fact that Russia
sells weapons [to Azerbaijan] I have no doubts Russia will honor its
commitments to us in times of adversity.”
Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put
on display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army,
26Jun2014. Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are
put on display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army,
26Jun2014.
x Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put on
display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army, 26Jun2014.
Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put on
display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army, 26Jun2014.
Sarkisian did not specify what kind of Russian military
assistance Armenia expects to receive in case of a renewed war for
Nagorno-Karabakh. Meanwhile, Russia appears to have supplied more
heavy weapons to Azerbaijan than Armenia, its main regional ally,
in the past several years. Citing Russian government data, the UN
Register of Conventional Arms revealed last month that Azerbaijan
purchased 72 tanks, 34 armored vehicles, 456 artillery systems, 37
attack helicopters and 1,200 rockets and missile systems from Moscow
in 2007-2013.
Russian and Azerbaijani officials have estimated the total volume of
bilateral defense contracts signed between the two countries since
2010 at nearly $4 billion. A Russian newspaper reported recently that
the figure could rise to $5 billion by the end of this year.
Officials in Armenia have so far been careful not to publicly criticize
the Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan. Some of them have implied
that they are offset by Russian military aid to Armenia.
The senior Dashnaktsutyun member believes that maintaining military
balance in the region is in the interest of Russia. “This [arms
supplies to Azerbaijan] is not something that we can ignore…
There is only one way to make it acceptable - if Russia gives
us whatever it sells to Azerbaijan free of charge while charging
Azerbaijan for it,” Markarian said.
The Dashnaktsutyun representative also spoke about Armenia’s
planned membership in the emerging Eurasian Economic Union of Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan, acknowledging that the decision to engage
in the process stems from Armenia’s security concerns. Yerevan
effectively gave up its process of association with the European Union
after announcing its intention to become part of a Russian-led trade
bloc last September.
Markarian said that remaining outside any blocs would be the best
option for Armenia if it had no security issues. “If we could
find a way to solve our security problems or to feel secure and not
be a member of any bloc, but have relations with all, that would be
an ideal way,” the Dashnaktsutyun leader said.
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/25458155.html
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Armenia - Hrant Markarian, a leader of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, speaks to journalists, 27Feb2012.
Armenia - Hrant Markarian, a leader of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, speaks to journalists, 27Feb2012.
Sargis Harutyunyan
15.07.2014
Russia will lose Armenia as an ally if it continues to supply arms to
Azerbaijan in large amounts, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) said on Tuesday.
In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am)
representative of the opposition party’s Bureau Hrant Markarian
reacted to recent reports suggesting that Moscow has sold modern
types of weapons, including heavy materiel, worth around $4 billion
to Baku in recent years.
“Russia should realize that this way it cannot keep its allies
around for a long time. It should realize that this way it will lose
them,” Markarian said. “One can always find options, one
should always look for options, there are always ways, hard or easy,
ways in which we may pay a heavy price, but still have an option. I
don’t think that we are so helpless that our only way can be
with Russia. And Russia should also realize this. It should realize
that this is a wrong approach and it may have great losses.”
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian recently voiced dismay at continuing
deliveries of Russian offensive weapons to Azerbaijan. In an interview
with Argentinean media during a visit to Buenos Aires last week
Sarkisian, however, insisted that Russia remains committed to its
military alliance with Armenia.
“It is a very painful subject and our people are worried that
our strategic ally sells weapons to Azerbaijan,” the Armenian
president said. “But we are very confident that Armenia has the
capability to defend its borders… Despite the fact that Russia
sells weapons [to Azerbaijan] I have no doubts Russia will honor its
commitments to us in times of adversity.”
Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put
on display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army,
26Jun2014. Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are
put on display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army,
26Jun2014.
x Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put on
display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army, 26Jun2014.
Azerbaijan - Russian-made tanks and artillery systems are put on
display during exercises conducted by the Azerbaijani army, 26Jun2014.
Sarkisian did not specify what kind of Russian military
assistance Armenia expects to receive in case of a renewed war for
Nagorno-Karabakh. Meanwhile, Russia appears to have supplied more
heavy weapons to Azerbaijan than Armenia, its main regional ally,
in the past several years. Citing Russian government data, the UN
Register of Conventional Arms revealed last month that Azerbaijan
purchased 72 tanks, 34 armored vehicles, 456 artillery systems, 37
attack helicopters and 1,200 rockets and missile systems from Moscow
in 2007-2013.
Russian and Azerbaijani officials have estimated the total volume of
bilateral defense contracts signed between the two countries since
2010 at nearly $4 billion. A Russian newspaper reported recently that
the figure could rise to $5 billion by the end of this year.
Officials in Armenia have so far been careful not to publicly criticize
the Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan. Some of them have implied
that they are offset by Russian military aid to Armenia.
The senior Dashnaktsutyun member believes that maintaining military
balance in the region is in the interest of Russia. “This [arms
supplies to Azerbaijan] is not something that we can ignore…
There is only one way to make it acceptable - if Russia gives
us whatever it sells to Azerbaijan free of charge while charging
Azerbaijan for it,” Markarian said.
The Dashnaktsutyun representative also spoke about Armenia’s
planned membership in the emerging Eurasian Economic Union of Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan, acknowledging that the decision to engage
in the process stems from Armenia’s security concerns. Yerevan
effectively gave up its process of association with the European Union
after announcing its intention to become part of a Russian-led trade
bloc last September.
Markarian said that remaining outside any blocs would be the best
option for Armenia if it had no security issues. “If we could
find a way to solve our security problems or to feel secure and not
be a member of any bloc, but have relations with all, that would be
an ideal way,” the Dashnaktsutyun leader said.
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/25458155.html