BAKU (RFE/RL)—Signaling fresh defense contracts with Azerbaijan, Russia’s two top state officials dealing with arms exports visited Baku and met with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov on Thursday.
Azerbaijani news agencies cited Hasanov’s press office as saying that he discussed with Aleksandr Fomin, the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, and Anatoly Isaykin, the chief executive of the Rosoboronexport state arms exporter, “Russian-Azerbaijani relations in military and military-technical areas.” Fomin and Isaykin were reported to stress “big prospects” for boosting those ties.
The three men also talked about “the military-political situation in the region,” with Hasanov calling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict the greatest threat to regional stability. No other details of the talks were reported.
Despite its military alliance with Armenia, Russia has become in recent years the number one supplier of weapons and military hardware to Azerbaijan. A senior Azerbaijani defense official expressed hope in April that Moscow will solidify this status.
Citing Russian government data, the UN Register of Conventional Arms reported earlier this month that Azerbaijan purchased 72 tanks, 34 armored vehicles, 456 artillery systems, 37 attack helicopters and 1,200 rockets and missile systems from Russia in 2007-2013. Moscow reported the delivery of fewer tanks and artillery systems to Armenia in that period.
The Azerbaijani army began receiving last year about 100 T-90 tanks purchased from Moscow in 2012. Fomin’s deputy, Konstantin Biryulin, said last month that Baku has the option of buying 100 more such tanks.
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 recently that the figure could rise to $5 billion by the end of this year.
Yes and they call this collective national security, guaranteed by our Russian Brothers, what a pile of bullshit. I do not why we are up the asses of these Russians.
Final words, Armenians be prepared war is coming and that will be very very soon.
The writing is on the wall: we are nothing but dirt for the Kremlin and cheap labor for Russia, and our well-being will always be compromised with other countries in the region because we gave up everything in a heartbeat just not to “compromise our safety” with the Big Bear.
Job well done, brain-dead Russophiles. Russia continues to spit on Armenia, endanger its men on the front lines, and we have you to thank for it. Where are you now, Sarkis?
This is the Kremlin’s response to the situation in Ukraine. After blaming the west for taking Ukraine out of its orbit, they have decided to aggressively solidify their control over the Caucasus in particular and eastern Asia in general. It will not matter to them whether they support Armenia or Azerbaijan, the more important thing is to have complete hegemony over the region. Of course, this will not bode well with the west. They’ve been courting the Azeris for nearly two decades. If they lose Azerbaijan, it will spell the end of their designs over the region’s natural resources and their foothold to central Asia. However, this might create an unexpected windfall for Armenia. Armenia might suddenly find itself the object of the west’s affection. This time, the west could court Armenia and use it to stifle Russia’s own designs over the region. This is the time for Armenia to be a savvy player. It is always interesting to see how loyalty and alliances continually evolve in the world of international politics.
Artsakh is the main reason, where Russia makes money out of corrupted Axerbaijan!
Russia and the West must stop selling arms to Azerbaijan. Why give the barbarians arms to kill and destroy?
I am sure that the Russians have given them the go-ahead to attack Armenia and Karabagh. I even think that Russia will intervene to make sure we don’t win because that would prevent them with the mandate of mixing populations so that there is a need for “peacekeepers”. The Azeris will cause tremendous damage and destruction to Armenians with weaponry supplied to them by our holy and Orthodox ally, and then offer itself up as a solution by putting a permanent base in NK. We lose our land, our sovereignty and our future to Russia. I’m so excited!
Is Russia secretly talking with Azerbaijan about starting the war again? I think that is very probable. Russian military officials meeting with Azerbaijan officials. I guess they want to have even more arm deals. Russia wants to arm Azerbaijan even more. That’s a way of pressuring Armenia I guess. They want to have as much control as possible of Armenia.
An ally doesn’t arm our enemy. You won’t ever see USA arming terrorists organizations that wants to harm Israel. USA is a true friend of Israel because it does not arm it’s enemy.
Yet some Armenians still dare to call Russia, our “ally”.
Dear Armenians the real threat are not azeri but we are cause we are everytime blaming the Russian.
Ask your self why are they selling their weapons to Azerbaijan.
Cause if they dont Americans will sel their weapons to Azerbaijan.
As long as Azeris buy Russian weapons they also needs bulles each weapon requires its own bullets.
in case of war Azerbaijan will need bullets from Russia in order to use the guns…
By the way Armenia can buy Russian weapons for a very cheap price.
Russia cant allow the west to take over Azerbaijan thats why they sell their weapons to Azeris and help them.
people must understand that not everything can be made public there is a deep thinking going on.
and for those who say Russia controlls Armenia, it is not Russia to blame but Armenia for selling everything to the Russian we should blame our selfs.
We blame RUssian for selling weapons to our enemy cause of its own intrests, but who is gonna blame the Armenians who go to Turkey to do business there for its own intrests.
We people are only making it harder for our selfs. even everytime we blame our country for not returning fire to Azerbaijan when killing our soldiers, believe me Armenia is very well active in returning fire and doing much more!
just cause Armenians dont report the enemy”s deaths that doesn’t mean they dont have casualties, this could cause panic in Azerbaijan their superior Army cant lose against the Armenians.
This is all Armenian and Russian political strategy game.
Armenia will gain more from Euroasian union than europian trade cause they cant guarantee our savety.
Armenia without Russia is nothing its gone especially now.
Dont make to soon conclusions about everything, not every thing can be say in public renember, sorry for my bad english
The day so called Azerbaijan gives itself to Russia (the way Armenia has), is the day so called Azerbaijan invades not only Artsakh but half of Armenia as well. Armenia will lose the lake Sevan basin and Zangezour. Armenia will sign a peace treaty with so called Azerbaijan recognizing the new borders. Azeris are blood thirsty non indigenous thieves who will eventually end Armenian civilization. The Russians don’t care where the border is between Armenia and so called Azerbaijan just as long as it gets what it wants. Armenia is doomed. If Armenians were as vicious, blood thirsty and have a focused hatred toward their enemies as the turks have against Armenians, Armenia would not be near the end of its historical timeline.
“Azeris are blood thirsty non indigenous thieves who will eventually end Armenian civilization.”, but “the Armenian government are blood thirsty non indigenous thieves who will eventually end Armenian civilization” applies here as well.