YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Armenia and Russia have reportedly signed fresh contracts for the supply of Russian weapons to the Armenian army.
Citing the Russian Defense Ministry, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday that the contracts were signed in Moscow by Armenia’s Deputy Defense Minister Davit Pakhchanyan and top Russian defense industry executives. It gave no details.
The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed the information, according to the Armenpress news agency. It too did not divulge financial details of the contracts or specify the types of weapons covered by them.
The ministry linked the deal to Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan’s recent trip to Moscow. Tonoyan met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu and the head of a Russian government agency overseeing arms deals with foreign states.
Tonoyan’s office said on February 8 that he and Shoygu discussed, among other things, supplies of Russian-made “state-of-the-art and precision-guided weapons” which would give the Armenian military “preventive superiority” over its adversaries. It did not elaborate.
Earlier in February, Yerevan confirmed the signing of a Russian-Armenian contract calling for the delivery of four Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets to the Armenian Air Force. Tonoyan said last week that Yerevan will seek to acquire more such aircraft after receiving their first batch by “the beginning of next year.”
The military alliance with Russia entitles Armenia to buying Russian weapons at discounted prices. Moscow lent the Armenian government $200 million for such arms acquisitions in 2015. The weapons provided to the Armenian military under that deal included, among other things, multiple-launch rocket systems, anti-tank rockets, and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
Yerevan secured another Russian loan, worth $100 million, for further arms purchases in 2017. It is not clear whether the latest Russian-Armenian defense contracts will be financed from that loan.
According to Interfax, the two sides are now discussing the possibility of a third Russian credit.
LOL. For how much Russia will sell the same to Azeries? Whet needs to be signed is an agreement that Russia will stop selling any weapon to the animals.
Why don’t you ask the same question to Israel? it’s better to buy the weapons from a friend than from a f..kn S holes.
Why is it that it’s always not disclosed? What is there to hide. If they are powerful enough to defend from the enemy then the enemy should also be aware of the firepower. The only possible reason to conceal the deal is to deny observers the extent of the so-called help from the so-called ally. It’s public funds that are being used and therefore the right of the people to know where and when the money is being squandered. What shady deals are being made behind “closed-doors” no one knows. Perhaps the deal isn’t as good as they claim. Maybe comparing to the Azeri side, we’re being sold Polikarpov U-2 biplanes and BM-13 Katyushas.
Don’t be naive, Armenia is not US, even in US is not disclosed everything