MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Duma ordered its three committees Tuesday to investigate Russia’s arms exports to Armenia.
Nikolai Bindyukov of the Communist Party insisted that an investigation was necessary in the wake of Russian media reports and a published statement by Aman Tuleyev–the Russian minister for cooperation with Commonwealth of Independent States members.
Bindyukov said the investigation was necessary to see whether Russia was getting the fair market value for the arms exported to Armenia.
Sergei Mitrokhin of the liberal Yabloko faction of the Russian parliament said that Bindyukov’s speech was "an unfriendly act toward Armenia."
Vladimir Zhirinovsky–the leader of the Liberal Democratic faction–warned the Duma against interfering in the government’s arms trade which he said was confidential.
Nikolai Ryzhkov–the leader of the pro-Communist People’s Power faction–backed Zhirinovsky. He asked the Duma "not to inflict harm on our national interests."
