AZERBAIJAN KEEPS ON PURCHASING OLD ARMAMENT
arminfo
2007-08-15 11:42:00
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed contracts for delivery of a new armor
from Russia to the sum of about $40 mln. As ‘Zerkalo’ Azerbaijani
newspaper reports with reference to ‘Vedomosti’ Russian newspaper,
‘Rosoboronexport’ signed a contract in July for delivery of 70 new
BTR-80 to Azerbaijan.
‘Rosoboronexport’ and the Military-Industrial (being part of the
‘Russian Vehicles’ Holding), controls ‘Arzamas Machinery Plant’,
where BTRs are manufactured) company refused to give comments.
However, availability of contracts was confirmed by RF Defense
Ministry’s official. He added that in case of successful realization,
additional contracts may be signed for delivery of BTR-80, and
Azerbaijan may become the first buyer of more expensive new BTR-90.
‘Russia traditionally supplies armament to both Armenia and Azerbaijan,
therefore, the last delivery will change nothing in the balance of
forces between the countries involved in the territorial conflict’,
an independent Russian military expert’, Pavel Felgenhower says and
adds that if Azerbaijan wants to equip the Army with new armament,
it should purchase it in the West at higher price.
Another well-known military expert Uzeir Jafarov thinks that the
contract on purchase of such quantity of BTRs from Russia confirms
the suspicions that Azerbaijan will still be long integrated into
NATO only in word. ‘It has become a bad tradition to pass off the old
equipment, acquired in CIS countries after an overhaul, as a new one’.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
