Russian-Armenian Arms Contracts ‘Mostly Signed’

May 11, 2016 By administrator

A Russian TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher (Photo: Reuters)

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Most of the contracts required for the upcoming delivery of large amounts of Russian weapons to Armenia have already been signed, according to the Russian ambassador in Yerevan, Ivan Volynkin.

Armenia is to pay for them with a $200 million loan which Russia pledged to allocate to in 2015. The Armenian government moved to speed up the implementation of the arms deal following the April 2 escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The government instructed the Armenian Defense Ministry to negotiate supply contracts with relevant Russian government agencies. “We are now working on the signing of the contracts,” Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said during his April 27 visit to Moscow.

“As far as I know, contracts relating to most of that [Russian-Armenian loan] agreement have already been signed,” Volynkin said on Monday. “The deliveries will be carried out within mutually acceptable time frames.”

The Russian envoy did not give any dates. “You can’t just pick a weapon somewhere and [immediately] get it,” he said. “It has to be produced, and that takes time.”

Meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Yerevan on April 7, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian complained about a “certain slowdown” in the implementation of the $200 million deal by Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter. He asked Medvedev to help “conclude the contracts” with the Armenian side.

“You see, every country has bureaucratic methods that do not allow for immediate solutions,” Volynkin said in that regard. “You need to work out the list of weapons, terms for the delivery and the like.”

In February, Moscow disclosed the types of military hardware which Yerevan will be allowed to buy with the Russian credit. The deadliest of these weapons is the Smerch multiple-launch rocket system and TOS-1A heavy flamethrower designed to destroy defense fortifications and enemy personnel with thermobaric rockets.

Russia has reportedly sold 18 Smerch launchers and as many TOS-1A systems to Azerbaijan along with more than 90 T-90 tanks, over 30 combat helicopters and other offensive weapons. The Russian arms deliveries to Armenia’s arch-foe, reportedly worth about $5 billion, stemmed from contracts signed in 2009-2011.

Armenian leaders stepped up their criticism of those arms deals immediately after last month’s Azerbaijani military offensive in Karabakh. Medvedev effectively rejected the criticism, saying that Moscow sells weapons to both Armenia and Azerbaijan and thereby sustains the “military balance” in the Karabakh conflict.

Volynkin insisted that that balance has not been disrupted by the Russian-Azerbaijani defense contracts. Russia regards Armenia as a “strategic ally” and will continue to supply it with “the most advanced weapons,” he said.

“We will do everything in our power to preserve this allied relationship,” added the diplomat.

Ohanian similarly stated on April 27 that Yerevan will not reconsider its close military and political ties with Moscow. “I don’t see a single fact indicating that our strategic relations have been somehow disrupted or changed,” he said.

Armenia can also spend the Russian loan on buying, at discounted prices, Russian-made anti-tank weapons, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, demining and communication equipment, armored personnel carriers and heavy military trucks.

The anti-tank systems include 9M133 guided missiles that first went into service with the Russian army in the late 1990s. The 135-milimeter rockets can supposedly destroy tanks within a 4-kilometer range.

In 2015, the two sides also negotiated on the delivery of Russian Iskander missiles to the Armenian army. With a firing range of up to 500 kilometers, the sophisticated systems would make Azerbaijan’s vital oil and gas infrastructure even more vulnerable to Armenian missile strikes in the event of a full-scale war for Karabakh.

An Armenian army general claimed in April that Armenia already has such missiles in its military arsenal. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan did not deny or confirm the claim.

Turkish Media Fears Russian-Armenian Air Defense Could ‘Heat Up Caucasus’

December 25, 2015 By administrator

Russian-Armenian system of a regional joint air defense

Turkish media appears to be ill at ease over the creation of a Russian-Armenian system of a regional joint air defense, suggesting that the agreement could mean trouble for Ankara and lead to growing instability in the region.

On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan signed an agreement on the creation of a joint regional air defense system for the Caucasus region.

The agreement was one of several CIS Defense Ministers’ Council cooperation plans for 2016 inked in Moscow, with negotiations ongoing for regional air defense agreements with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. A joint air defense agreement was reached between Russia and Kazakhstan in 2013, Moscow recently handing a S-300 SAM platform over to Astana. Russian and Belarusian air defense systems have already been unified.

Armenia hosts two Russian military facilities, including the 102nd Russian Military Base, located in the northern city of Gyumri. Operating under its aegis is the joint-basing airfield at Erebuni, about 120 km north of Yerevan. According to open sources, the two bases are believed to hold between 4,000-5,000 Russian personnel.

Earlier this month, the Erebuni base was reinforced with six Mi-24P assault helicopters, along with several Mi-8MT transport helicopters. Two weeks earlier, seven Mi-24s and several Mi-8MTs were deployed to the base.

Commenting on the Russian-Armenian agreement, Turkish English-language media worriedly hint that it could be connected to Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24M bomber over Syria last month, as well as the presence of US bases in the country.

In his interview for Russia’s RIA Novosti, cited by Turkish English-language media including Today’s Zaman and Hurriyet Daily News, former deputy commander of the Russian Air Defense Forces Alexander Luzan said that he believed the decision to create a joint air defense system was “connected with events in Turkey,” with Ankara’s dangerous maneuvers, US bases, and Russia’s desire to protect its Armenian partners all playing a role.

Commenting on Luzan’s analysis, Today’s Zaman suggested that “the increasing Russian military presence in Armenia, a landlocked country in the South Caucasus bordering Turkey, will likely stir uneasiness in Ankara.”

For its part Hurriyet Daily News went further, warning that that the Turkish government believes that deal threatens to “heat up the Caucasus.”

Speaking to the paper, an anonymous official said that “Russia and Armenia [need] to abstain from actions that would jeopardize regional peace in the Caucasus,” with Ankara fearing that “Yerevan’s attitude would boost the risk of clashes in the region,” presumably referring to intensifying clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.

For its part, the official suggested, Ankara is in favor of continuing with its ‘good neighbor relationship’ in the Caucasus.

Turkey’s ‘zero problems with neighbors’ policy has been seriously strained in recent months by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s apparent ambitions for regional hegemony, from his support for anti-government militants in Syria, to the shootdown of the Russian Su-24 last month, to Turkey’s illegal intervention in northern Iraq earlier this month.

Source: sputniknews.com

Joint Russian-Armenian Air Defense Shield to Cover Middle East

November 12, 2015 By administrator

(sputniknews) A joint Russian and Armenian air defense system project was launched long ago and is not connected to the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the crisis in the region proves the necessity of such measures, political analyst Sergei Minasyan said.

Russia President Vladimir Putin ordered to sign an agreement on the creation of a joint air defense system of Russia and Armenia. The decree was published Wednesday.The system will allow for protecting the airspace far to the south of the Russian borders, political analyst Sergei Minasyan said.

“The system will comprise air defenses and Russian combat jets deployed to the Southern Military District. This would allow for monitoring the airspace far from the Armenian borders. The system will also help modernize Armenian air defenses and improve their operational range,” Minasyan told Sputnik Radio.

The deployment of air defense missile systems, radio-radars and jet fighters to Armenia will allow for protecting the airspace far from the Russian borders, including in the Middle East, he pointed out.

According to him, the initiative was launched long ago.

“It has been in the development for over 10 years. And now it’s just a coincidence with the Syrian conflict. The situation in the so-called Greater Middle East just proves that the measures are effective,” the analyst said.

Minasyan underscored that Moscow and Yerevan laid groundwork for the project back in the 1990s.

“From political and strategic points of view there have been no significant changes. The system still works. Russia and Armenia coordinate their actions in patrolling the airspace. The new joint air defense system would just be more effective,” he said.

Downing helicopter in Artsakh is challenge for Russia: expert

November 12, 2014 By administrator

Downing of a helicopter operating a training flight in Nagorno Karabakh is a challenge for Russia, according to an expert of the Russian-Armenian Commonwealth.

A Mi-24 helicopter of the Karabakh army was shot during a training flight as result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces at about 1pm local time. According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the attack took place not far from the line of contact. Azeris then continued firing in the direction of the site.

According to Denis Dvornikov, such behavior could lead to large-scale hostilities. “In this case, the Russian army will at least have to defend the civilian population in Artsakh,” he told PanARMENIAN.Net adding that the incident is the result of Azerbaijani commanders’ fatal stupidity or a well-thought provocation to ‘set South Caucasus on fire.’

As to the measures to be taken by the Armenian side, Dvornikov said the most important thing is not to lose temper.

“The first wish would of course be to force the aggressor into the cold waters of the Caspian Sea. However, everything should be done to find a diplomatic solution,” he said, adding that the international institutions should call the killers to account.

On his Facebook page, Dvornikov posted: “A friendly talk with an aggressor is equal to loss of reputation. Politicians, who continue chewing the Caspian caviar and turn blind eye to the situation, are acting against the interests of the international community. We are on the verge of a big fire in the South Caucasus and a new war will be different from the previous one. It will bring humanitarian catastrophe and possible involvement of Iran and turkey will turn the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict into a full-scale slaughter. Is this what the people in Azerbaijan want?”

Citing its sources, Razm.info reported that 3 servicemen were killed.

According to Haqqin.az, the helicopter fell down at the territory controlled by Azerbaijan and caught fire.

The armed forces of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic are holding join drills , which involve 47,000 people.

Related links:

Denis Dvornikov’s Facebook page

Russian-Armenian Military Drill Targets ‘Ottomania’

September 6, 2014 By administrator

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Russian and Armenian troops simulated on Friday a joint operation against an imaginary enemy dubbed “Ottomania” by their commanders on the third day of their joint exercises held in central Armenia.

Practicing what was clearly a joint response to possible Turkish invasion, they pounded “enemy positions” with heavy fire from tanks, self-propelled artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. The infantry participating in the exercises was also backed up by unmanned aircraft belonging to the Russian military base headquartered in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city close to the Turkish border.

Mikael Grigorian, an Armenian army general commanding the drills, stressed that drones have never been used in Russian-Armenian war games held in the past. “There were many novelties today and you probably saw them,” told reporters at the vast Alagyaz shooting range near the northern slopes of Mount Aragats.

“We are using here rocket artillery on a full scale. All artillery detachments are involved right now,” Pavel Aleksyuk, the deputy commander of the Russian base, said for his part.

The annual five-day exercises got underway on Wednesday, involving more than 1,500 Russian and Armenian soldiers and around 300 artillery systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles. Russian MiG-29 fighter jets stationed in Yerevan were also due to be used in the joint maneuvers stemming from Armenia’s military alliance with Russia.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian has repeatedly said that Armenia hosts Russian troops on its territory primarily because of a perceived security threat from Turkey, rather than Azerbaijan. “With the existing forces at our disposal, we not only can defend ourselves against Azerbaijan but also take, if need be, preemptive, counteroffensive or other measures,” Ohanian said in February.

From Yerevan’s perspective, the Russian military presence precludes Turkey’s direct military intervention on Azerbaijan’s side in the event of another full-scale war for Nagorno-Karabakh.

A Russian-Armenian agreement signed in 2010 extended that presence until 2044 and upgraded the security mandate of the Russian base. Moscow has since beefed up the base numbering between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers with heavy weaponry. It is due to deploy about two dozen combat helicopters in Armenia late this year.