Diplomatic Source: Sale Of Weapons To Azerbaijan Was
Moscow's Preventive Measure Ahead Of Armenia- EU
Association Agreement
ARMINFO – 21/6/2013
Sale of a new lot of up-to-date arms to Azerbaijan was nothing but a
preventive measure by Moscow ahead of the Armenia-EU Association Agreement,
diplomatic sources told ArmInfo. "It is not a secret that the Association
Agreement is to be signed at the EPP Summit in Vilnius in November.
Therefore, the sale of arms to Azerbaijan meets this logic. The deal was
legally registered in the package of contracts with Azerbaijan yet in 20112012. It is noteworthy, however, that Moscow has approved the supply of
arms to Azerbaijan quite lately," the source says.
On June 15 reports on the supply of military hardware to Azerbaijan by
Russia flooded Mass Media. The military hardware being supplied to Baku is
worth between $700 million and $1 billion and includes 94 T- 90S tanks,
about 100 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, 18 Msta-S howitzers, 18 Smerch
rocket launchers, 18 Vena "floating mortars," and six TOS-1A Solntsepek
multiple launch rocket systems. Only in 2010- 2011 Russia supplied arms in
the amount of nearly $3 billion to Azerbaijan.
Armenia and EU has been negotiating for Association Agreement and for DCFTA
since 2010. The negotiations are due to over till the Eastern Partnership
Summit in Vilnius in Nov 2013. The document will replace the EPP and
Armenia-EU Action Plan. The agreement aims gradual economic integration of
Armenia into EU. In 2011 Armenia's export to EU totaled 45.5% of total
export amid 20.1% export to CIS.
Cooperation with Europe has intensified amid Russia's growing integration
efforts through formation of the Customs Union and versatile free trade
area in the CIS, which Armenia joined yet in Sept 2011. Armenia's
integration policy implies simultaneous participation in the free trade
areas of the CIS and EU. nevertheless, Brussles and Moscow regularly offer
Yerevan to chose one vector of integration as Association Agreement with
the EU and Russia's Customs Union are incompatible.
WHY IS RUSSIA SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO THE
ENEMY OF ITS STRATEGIC PARTNER?
By Karen Ghazaryan -"Radiolur"
armradio.am – 21/6/2013
Our strategic partner is taking actions against us by supplying arms to our
rival, which we are actually in war with, and this is condemnable Armenia's
ex-Ambassador to Canada, Director of the Modus Vivendi Centre Ara Papyan.
According to him, Armenia should clearly declare about its position and
state that the phenomenon is unacceptable.
Touching upon the issue, President of the Christian Democratic Union
Khosrov Harutyunyan said this will not bring about any changes in the
region. However, according to him, these are steps targeted at
strengthening the role of Russia in the region. At the same time, it's
strange to Khosrov Harutyunyan that our strategic partner supplies weapons
to our enemy.
Ara Papyan does not share the opinion that Russia is punishing Armenia for
not joining the Eurasian Union. It would be a tactical error, he said.
According to Ara Papyan, the problem here is not about the possible change
of balance in the region. The issue has political and even moral aspects,
besides the strategic one, he added.
"Armenia should condemn the deal and submit an official protest," Papyan
said, adding that the bitter historic experience should be taken into
consideration.
Ara Papyan does not think this will increase the threat of resumption of
war, because there is a clear-cut political position, at least in the West,
that war will not benefit anyone, and only the interests of the British
petroleum are enough to prevent military actions.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/06/21/why-is-russia-supplying-weapons-tothe-enemy-of-its-strategic-partner/
Armenian Security Chief Defends Russia Against Criticism
By Hovannes Shoghikian
RFE/RL Armenia Report - 21/06/2013
Armenians should not criticize Russia for selling weapons to Azerbaijan
despite its military alliance with Armenia, the secretary of President
Serzh Sarkisian's National Security Council said on Friday.
Artur Baghdasarian insisted that Russia has a legitimate right to make arms
deals with third countries, including Armenia's arch-foe. He also announced
that Moscow and Yerevan are poised to sign a new agreement on defense and
security.
Baghdasarian was commenting on reports that the Russians have begun
delivering $1 billion worth of tanks and other military hardware to
Azerbaijan. The reports, not yet officially confirmed by Moscow, have
raised eyebrows in Armenian media and opposition circles. Some of them have
accused Russia of betraying its main ally in the region.
`I believe that Russia, like any other state, has its national strategic
interests,' Baghdasarian told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
`Russia has relations with Azerbaijan and builds them on the basis of its
interests. So the strategic partnership [with Armenia] has nothing to do
with that.'
The official also implied in that context that Armenia will still be able
to maintain the military balance with Azerbaijan thanks to continued
Russian arms supplies. `The Republic of Armenia adopted ... a state program
for acquisitions of weapons and military hardware several years ago,' he
said. `Modern, state-of-the-art weapons and military hardware are imported
to Armenia. So we should not panic about Azerbaijan's buying of some
military hardware from Russia. They also buy military hardware from other
countries.'
The five-year program cited by Baghdasarian was approved by the Sarkisian
administration in late 2010 following the signing of a major RussianArmenian defense accord. The deal extended Russian military presence in
Armenia until 2044 and committed Moscow to helping the Armenian military
obtain `modern weaponry and special military hardware.'
Baghdasarian revealed that another Russian-Armenian agreement will be
signed during the upcoming visit to Yerevan by his Russian opposite number,
Nikolay Patrushev. `We are going to discuss a wide range of issues of
bilateral cooperation, very concrete issues that are significantly
connected with strengthening Armenia's security,' he said. `I think we will
have very good results.'
`That will also cover the military sphere. We will sign very important
documents,' he added without going into details.