Armenia approves army modernization plan

[Babur Han]

Armenia approves army modernization plan

Thursday, December 16, 2010

YEREVAN – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his National Security Council have approved a five-year plan to modernize the armed forces, including the acquisition of long-range, precision-guided weapons, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Sarkisian's office referred to the plan as the "State Program for Developing Weaponry and Military Hardware in 2011-2015." It said over the weekend that the military will receive "state-of-the-art weapons" and become "considerably" stronger as a result, RFE/RL reported earlier this week.

"With the adoption of this program, we are taking an important step to neutralize all possible military threats to Armenia's security," the secretary of the National Security Council, Artur Baghdasarian, said Monday. "Yerevan will not only get hold of modern armaments but also develop the domestic defense industry."

The modernization plan is essentially based on two documents approved in August by a government commission on defense and national security. One of the documents dealt with army weaponry, while the other detailed measures to develop the defense industry.

"The two programs envisage both the acquisition of state-of-the-art weapons and their partial manufacturing by the local defense industry," Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said at the time. He said this will enhance the army's "long-range strike capacity" and enable it to "thwart free enemy movements deep inside the entire theater of hostilities."

Speaking to journalists on Aug. 10, Ohanian did not deny that the modernization plan is connected with the risk of another Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty two weeks later, he said the long-range weapons sought by Yerevan would be aimed at "strategic facilities" of hostile neighbors.

The Armenian military is believed to be equipped with short-range tactical missiles capable of striking targets in Azerbaijan.

Ties with Russia

Ohanian spoke to RFE/RL just days after Yerevan and Moscow signed a new agreement prolonging and upgrading Russia's military presence in Armenia. The defense pact also stipulates that Moscow will help Yerevan obtain "modern and compatible weaponry and [special] military hardware."

The precise type of these weapons is not yet known.

Baghdasarian effectively acknowledged a link between the pact signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's August visit to Yerevan and the modernization plan endorsed by Sarkisian. He noted that Medvedev and Sarkisian also oversaw the signing of another deal that calls for closer cooperation between the Armenian and Russian defense enterprises. Baghdasarian reaffirmed the two governments' plans to set up joint defense ventures.

The planned modernization of the Armenian armed forces comes amid a continuing military build-up in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani leaders' threats to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force. The Azerbaijani government's defense spending is due to soar to more than $3 billion next year. The Armenian defense budget for 2011 is projected to be $405 million.

Armenia has sought to at least partially offset the widening spending gap with close military ties with Russia. Its membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, allows it to receive Russian weapons at cut-rate prices or even for free.

According to Baghdasarian, these "privileged terms" were reinforced by one of the documents adopted during the latest summit of the CSTO member states held in Moscow late last week. The official also announced that Armenia will host a CSTO military exercise in October 2011.

Armenia approves army modernization plan - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

 

[CaptainPrice]

Why is armenia so full of greed.It has none power to mess turkey so it messes with Azerbaijan.I think Turkey should play a more important role on Azer-Armo Ties.

 

[Babur Han]

Why is armenia so full of greed.It has none power to mess turkey so it messes with Azerbaijan.I think Turkey should play a more important role on Azer-Armo Ties.

Do not forget Russia stand behind Armenia and Armenia have a strong Lobby in western Countries. If Armenia were alone, they even have no chance against Azerbaijan !

 

[Parashuram1]

The main advantage Armenians have vis-a-vis Azerbaijan is Collective Security Treaty Organization. This allows them to stay under Russian protection and hence deny Azerbaijan playing the Turkey card.

To be honest, since this is an issue between those two countries, I think both Russia and Turkey should forge stronger ties with each other to such an extent that the two junior players should not be able to let this escalate to Russia-Turkey levels of misunderstanding.

 

[ASQ-1918]

Why is armenia so full of greed.It has none power to mess turkey so it messes with Azerbaijan.I think Turkey should play a more important role on Azer-Armo Ties.

I hope that is supposed to be a joke.

Armenia cannot even be compared to Azerbaijan. Messes with Azerbaijan?

 

[makelovenotwar]

Dear ASQ-1918

Lets assume the rest of the world bar Armenia and Azerbaijan vanished, one would hope war would not start straight away but lets for the purposes of this scenario.

Armenia vs Azerbaijan
The terrain is rugged and would be a haven for guerilla warfare, this like the ongoing war in Afghanistan means new conventional weaponry of the type Azerbaijan is now well equipped would barely tip the balance. Contary to some misconceptions Armenia is very well armed, yes they have less jets than the Azeris but Azerbaijan does not exactly have a massive airforce, Armenia has excellent and effective Russian supplied anti air weapons.

Armenia has a small population of around 3,000,000, out of this 400-500k men could be mobilised, more than enough to cover the small area of land of these two states.

Do not underestimate the power of a people fighting for their lives. Armenians have been in that land for thousands of years, this despite many a Islamic empire occupying it.

 

[makelovenotwar]

From The Times
March 6, 2010
11-year-old son of Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev ‘owns Dubai mansions’

Tony Halpin in Moscow, and Hugh Tomlinson in Dubai
The President of Azerbaijan suffered embarrassment yesterday when it was reported that nine luxury mansions in Dubai worth millions of pounds had been bought in the name of his 11-year-old son.

The waterfront properties on the exclusive Palm Jumeirah development have been registered with Dubai’s Land Department under the name of Heydar Aliyev, the schoolboy son of President Aliyev.

The Washington Post newspaper reported that they were bought in a two-week shopping spree last year for about $44 million (£29 million) — 10,000 times the average annual salary in Azerbaijan. The President’s daughters, Leyla and Arzu, also appeared as the owners of Dubai properties, bringing the total value of the children’s alleged property portfolio to $75 million.

The President’s official salary in Azerbaijan is about $228,000 a year.

RELATED LINKS
Emaar pulls out of Dubai Holding rescue merger
Stars caught out as Dubai property bubble bursts
Last days of Rome in Dubai
Dubai may have lost its shine in the age of the credit crunch, but the villas on the Palm still claim a host of famous owners. If young Heydar loses his football over the fence, he may find it returned by David Beckham, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or Simon Cowell.

A spokesman at the presidential administration in Baku refused to discuss the claims yesterday when contacted by The Times.

Reports of the alleged purchases shine a light on allegations of corruption in the former Soviet republic, which is swimming in revenues from vast oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea.

Azerbaijan has been dominated by the Aliyev dynasty for decades. Mr Aliyev’s father — also called Heydar — was leader of Soviet Azerbaijan for 13 years until 1982, then President of the independent republic for a decade until 2003, when he fell ill and nominated his son Ilham as his successor. Ilham, the vice-president of Socar, the state oil company, was elected President of Azerbaijan with 76 per cent of the vote in a poll condemned by international observers.

He was re-elected in 2008 with 89 per cent, after opposition candidates boycotted what they called a “sham election”.

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Azeris should have more to worry about that Armenia, perhaps the president knows this...

 

[ASQ-1918]

And why are you hiding your Armenian idenity?

I only wonder how Armenia messes with Azerbaijan, because the only thing they do are hiding under Russian umbrella.

 

[makelovenotwar]

Dear ASQ-1918

Apologies if my identity was not clear, I hope it is now. British Armenian.

Azeris may stand a chance if they catch the Armenians asleep at their posts, read the story below:

Hungary jails Azerbaijani killer: BBC News

Safarov was also convicted of trying to kill a second Armenian
An Azerbaijani army officer has been jailed for life for murdering an Armenian while the two were taking a Nato course in English in Hungary.
Lt Ramil Safarov confessed to hacking Lt Gurgen Markarian to death with an axe in February 2004 in a dormitory used by Partnership for Peace trainees.

The Budapest court sentenced Safarov to life in prison, with a 30-year minimum term before any parole hearing
-------------------------------------------------

Attacking someone whilst they are asleep is great from a tactical perspective!

Try attacking a professional mobilised army. Much less cowardly.

 

[avrasya]

Dear ASQ-1918


Do not underestimate the power of a people fighting for their lives. Armenians have been in that land for thousands of years, this despite many a Islamic empire occupying it.

Armenians have been in that land for thousands of years because Islamic empire let them to live.

When Armenians decide to support Russians in ww1 ottomans changed their mind and expelled Armenians. You know rest of this story. Whatever.

The only reason that armenia exist not because their tiny insignificant army. Thats because they let Russian bases in their land.

 

[makelovenotwar]

Dear avrasya

You wrote

"Armenians have been in that land for thousands of years because Islamic empire let them to live"

Besides the fact Armenians were living in the region thousands of years before Islam, they had to fight to survive, the prevailing Islamic empire at the time the Ottomans wanted them all dead. See Battle of Sardarabad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A small Armenian army halted the advance of the Turks saving Armenia's very existence. Their "tiny insignificant army" checked the Ottomans and forced them to retreat.

That Russian base initially exists from cold war times, remember Turkey once hosted American nuclear missiles right on the Soviet Union's doorstep.

 

[ASQ-1918]

That Russian base initially exists from cold war times

Armenia and Russia signed a new deal this year wich will extend the lease untill 2044. So how come? If Armenia is able to defend itself, then why sign a new deal?

And it is not directed at Turkey, but Azerbaijan. Under the new agreement, Russia will guard all borders of Armenia.

 

[makelovenotwar]

Thought you guys were experts at this....would any country of 3 million be able to fight a two front war that includes a nation of 75 million.....