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DETAILS OF RUSSIAN ARMS SALES TO BAKU EMERGE
http://asbarez.com/123979/details-of-russian-arms-sales-to-baku-emerge/
Wednesday, June 11th, 2014
Russian-made tanks, artillery systems and attack helicopters on
display at a military base in Nakhichevan
MOSCOW (RFE/RL)--Russia has officially admitted supplying more tanks
and other heavy weapons to Azerbaijan than Armenia in the past several
years, in annual reports submitted to the United Nations.
Citing Russian government data, the UN Register of Conventional Arms
revealed this week that Azerbaijan received 72 tanks, 34 armored
vehicles, 456 artillery systems, 37 attack helicopters and 1,200
rockets and missile systems from Russia in 2007-2013.
By comparison, Moscow reported the delivery to Armenia of 35 tanks,
200 rockets or missiles and 50 launchers used for them. The Armenian
military also received 110 Russian armored vehicles in the same
period. Most of those deliveries took place last year, according to
the UN registry.
Some observers believe that the real amount of Russian arms supplies to
Yerevan, mainly carried out at knockdown prices or free of charge, is
larger than is shown by the official data. They say that a considerable
part of Russia's military assistance to its main regional ally is
not officially declared.
Still, Russian-Azerbaijani military cooperation is causing growing
concern in Yerevan even if Armenian officials avoid publicly
criticizing it. Representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) on Wednesday declined to comment on the latest revelation
about the scale of that cooperation.
Opposition politicians did not shy away from denouncing Moscow's arms
deals with Baku. Naira Zohrabian of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK),
the second largest parliamentary force, called them "troubling." "We
have to do something serious about that," she said.
"We must not be satisfied by Russian officials' explanations that
it's a merely commercial affair."
Former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian, a pro-Western opposition
figure, said that Russia is acting against the spirit of its military
alliance with Armenia and that the latter must stop regarding it as a
reliable partner. "Russia's sole leverage in the South Caucasus is the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Arzumanian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). "From their perspective, it is in Russia's interests
to keep tension high and act like the main arbiter in case of a renewed
[Armenian-Azerbaijan] war."
Russia's arms sales to Armenia's arch-foe are continuing despite the
Armenian concerns. In particular, the Azerbaijani army has yet to
take delivery of most of about 100 T-90 tanks purchased from Moscow
in 2012. Russian and Azerbaijani officials have estimated the total
volume of bilateral defense contracts signed since 2010 at nearly $4
billion. The Moscow daily "Kommersant" reported last month that the
figure could rise to $5 billion by the end of this year.
http://asbarez.com/123979/details-of-russian-arms-sales-to-baku-emerge/
Wednesday, June 11th, 2014
Russian-made tanks, artillery systems and attack helicopters on
display at a military base in Nakhichevan
MOSCOW (RFE/RL)--Russia has officially admitted supplying more tanks
and other heavy weapons to Azerbaijan than Armenia in the past several
years, in annual reports submitted to the United Nations.
Citing Russian government data, the UN Register of Conventional Arms
revealed this week that Azerbaijan received 72 tanks, 34 armored
vehicles, 456 artillery systems, 37 attack helicopters and 1,200
rockets and missile systems from Russia in 2007-2013.
By comparison, Moscow reported the delivery to Armenia of 35 tanks,
200 rockets or missiles and 50 launchers used for them. The Armenian
military also received 110 Russian armored vehicles in the same
period. Most of those deliveries took place last year, according to
the UN registry.
Some observers believe that the real amount of Russian arms supplies to
Yerevan, mainly carried out at knockdown prices or free of charge, is
larger than is shown by the official data. They say that a considerable
part of Russia's military assistance to its main regional ally is
not officially declared.
Still, Russian-Azerbaijani military cooperation is causing growing
concern in Yerevan even if Armenian officials avoid publicly
criticizing it. Representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) on Wednesday declined to comment on the latest revelation
about the scale of that cooperation.
Opposition politicians did not shy away from denouncing Moscow's arms
deals with Baku. Naira Zohrabian of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK),
the second largest parliamentary force, called them "troubling." "We
have to do something serious about that," she said.
"We must not be satisfied by Russian officials' explanations that
it's a merely commercial affair."
Former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian, a pro-Western opposition
figure, said that Russia is acting against the spirit of its military
alliance with Armenia and that the latter must stop regarding it as a
reliable partner. "Russia's sole leverage in the South Caucasus is the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Arzumanian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). "From their perspective, it is in Russia's interests
to keep tension high and act like the main arbiter in case of a renewed
[Armenian-Azerbaijan] war."
Russia's arms sales to Armenia's arch-foe are continuing despite the
Armenian concerns. In particular, the Azerbaijani army has yet to
take delivery of most of about 100 T-90 tanks purchased from Moscow
in 2012. Russian and Azerbaijani officials have estimated the total
volume of bilateral defense contracts signed since 2010 at nearly $4
billion. The Moscow daily "Kommersant" reported last month that the
figure could rise to $5 billion by the end of this year.