Why Russia Postpones Armaments Supply by USD 200 million Loan and when will the Process be Launched?
“Russia postpones armaments supply to Armenia out of objective reasons,” Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the Center of Military Prognosis, Russian military expert, told 168.am, touching upon postponing of armaments pursuant the agreement on purchase of armaments by USD 200 million loan from Russia.
Note, throughout the four-day April war it became clear that armaments pursuant USD 200 million loan agreement didn’t reach to Armenia. Moreover, the delegation of Seyran Ohanyan, RA Minister of Defense, left for Moscow to participate in the 5th International Conference on Security to be launched on April 27. After the visit it became clear, that purpose of Armenian delegation was acceleration of armaments supply process.
However, at the same time, these days Azerbaijani websites spread unclarified information, that Russia continues armaments supply to Azerbaijan. It refers Vena 120mm self-propelled guns and BTR-82A armored vehicles, modernized by contemporary electronic systems, in case, when months ago Dmitri Rogozin, RF Deputy PM, then Sergey Shoygu, RF Defense Minister, not giving turn to one another, were leaving for Baku, so that the latter paid for the supplied armaments, as Russian media outlets reported of postponing. After all this it turns out, Russia doesn’t allocate to Armenia the armaments pursuant the loan agreement, meanwhile, essentially, it supplies armaments to Azerbaijan “on credit.”
Tsyganok conditioned postponing of armaments to Armenia by other circumstances. According to him, it’s not Russia, that postpones implementation of its liabilities, but crisis is existent in Russia.
“If we observe the situation in the South Caucasus, we’ll understand, that Azerbaijan owes Russia 5 times much money, than Armenia, by that very accord. I want to attach attention to the following: it doesn’t supply to Azerbaijan, although the latter purchased more armaments pursuant the agreement. Thus, this exclusively is a crisis implication. Whatever Russia does, is being criticized, meanwhile crisis limits Russia. Russia will supply as soon as possible, moreover, on account of the fact, that the accord with Armenia, is an agreement of a military ally. Possibly, it’ll be supplied after mobilization,” Tsyganok said.
Touching upon information circulating in Azerbaijani media outlets, that these days it obtains armaments, he said, he couldn’t clarify that information at that very moment. “However, it seems suspicious to me, as RF Deputy PM Rogozin directly stated in Azerbaijan a month ago, meanwhile the latter didn’t implement its contractual liabilities and hasn’t paid yet; it won’t get armaments. Moreover, Rogozin, who is responsible for the military-industrial field, stated this, and I don’t consider it would be supplied without payments. I don’t think that information is grounded, on account of facts,” he noticed.
To the observation, that the RF embassy official clearly stated, that Russian armaments wasn’t sent to Artsakh, meanwhile it wasn’t recognized by Armenia. What does it mean? He said, that Armenia didn’t recognize Artsakh’s independence, thus, this statement is natural. “Regarding this question the Armenian side is right. Both presidents said it’s not proper, and NKR status should be clarified. OSCE MG documents are in force, Azerbaijan should take into consideration opinions by RA first president,” Tsyganok concluded.
By Araks Martirosyan
