The press service of Rosoboronexport, Russia’s largest arms supplier, has announced Russia’s intention to increase supplies of arms and military equipment to Turkey.
In an interview with Tert.am, Karen Vrtanesyan, coordinator of the razm.info website, said that Russian arms producers are seeking markets and agree to cooperate with any of them because of cutthroat competition.
“Russia is cooperating with Turkey in many areas. As to the reasons why our strategic ally is cooperating with our enemies – this is our problem. We have to show our strategic ally threats of – and our discontent with – its cooperation with our potential enemies. I can also say that Turkey often announces its military cooperation with certain states, but cooperation is not actually established,” Mr Vrtanesyan said.
For example, Turkey announced its cooperation with China, but NATO’s sharp reaction has so far prevented such cooperation despite the issue being often discussed.
“The China case may have made western suppliers make better offers to Turkey. The same may happen in Russia’s case,” he said.
M Vrtanesyan is sure that Russian-Turkey military cooperation is of purely economic nature as offers and demand are not everyday phenomena on the military market.
As to what attitude the Armenian side should show, Mr Vrtanesyan said:
“It should be negative in any case. Turkey purchasing sophisticated arms is not in Armenia’s interests at all.”
Political scientist Manvel Sargsyan notes that Armenia cannot remain unconcerned about Russia’s closer cooperation with Turkey or Azerbaijan in any areas as history has proved it has always been done at Armenia’s expense.
Mr Sargsyan is sure, however, that it is a political issue rather than an economic one.
“This is a purely political matter, while economy is merely a mechanism arousing interest, and the sides are seeking to employ it. On the other hand, nothing more appears to remain for the states to offer, and they are offering arms to one another. Offering and purchasing arms has become a means for states to settle relations and impose their own will on others.”